Between Dusk and Dawn
by called by the wind
Summary: In the light of her own foolishness Kate had lain bleeding. She had given it her all, and it had cost just as much. Even heaven had rejected her. Waking up changed, Kate, free of Amaru's possession, can't bear the weight of her sins. She runs, trying to forget it all. But God's judgment follows her; and so do two Geckos. R/K/?S (fic started before S3 ended - AU at some point)
1. Chapter 1: Purgatory

**A/N: Hi guys, this is a big step for me – publishing this first chapter – I've never done it before, and I am quivering in my seat right now. The series have me hooked, though, so I will conquer my fear and share my story with you. Hopefully, you will like it.**

 **Summary** : Kind of AU, as it is set in the possible future after Amaru will have been defeated.

In the light of her own foolishness she had lain bleeding. And they had stood watching, mocking her. -And for what?- She had given it her all, and it had cost just as much. Even heaven had rejected her. Waking up changed, Kate, free of Amaru's possession, can't bear the weight of her sins. She runs, trying to forget it all. But God's judgment follows her; and so do two Geckos. Richie/Kate/?Seth

 **BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN**

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 **Chapter 1: Purgatory**

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 _True love is loving the unlovable._

Kate felt the cold touch of hard metal under her right palm. The gun felt good, her grip strong. _God Almighty, have mercy on me._ Since when did she relish the dead weight of a weapon in her hands? _Only sinners do, Kate._ And she was one of them now.

Shivers spread realisation. How long until it really sank in? Her fingers tightened around the handle of the Glock; her tongue felt woolly in her mouth. This was life now. A _game of hunt and kill._ A game she had only just be cast into. _Better than being trapped in your own body_ – the thought came involuntarily, but she let it evaporate before it could fully form. She would not remember - it would not hurt her.

This was how things were different now.

She twisted the Glock, brought it up to her eye-line, and examined its smooth polished surface. Once upon a time she'd been the victim. Now? _Never again._ Like a lover, she tucked the gun under her blouse, let it grow warm against her bare flesh. She took good care of it like it took good care of her.

Kate turned from the dresser to the bed, covered by a frayed, faded bedsheet; and took one last look at the room. She wouldn't miss it, that's for sure. Not the old, filthy carpet, not the cracked sink, and certainly not the smelly, green curtains. The time she had spent here were not made of great memories. There had been nights, long nights, where she had sat next the bed, curled up tight, and had waited for dawn. But the light of a new day had never quite reached her.

 _You are a sinner now, Kate. Take your sentence. Bear it alone._ _Alone. So alone._

That was part of the punishment – wasn't it? - because they were stronger when they were together, they were weaker, too, if separated. _So weak. Oh Scott._ Weak like him _. If this was purgatory, she thought, then he_ was in hell _– and God Almighty_ \- that is where he wanted to be. And she that's why she had let him go and leave her father's last wish unfulfilled. She had given it her all, and still she had failed. _God, forgive me_ , she had been so foolish, so stupid. What had she ever hoped to gain? Too much. So much greed.

 _Ezekiel 36:31:Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations._

And she had – she was. Even heaven had rejected her. So that's how realisation settled in her bones; it tasted sour, like vomit.

Kate fought hard to stay upright, her weak, treacherous knees wanted to bend under the weight of it all. Too much. How could she bear it - What had been; what could be - ...and the certainty of her failure and ultimately, her fall. Like the frayed ends of every conscious thought, it teased her. And in the night, memories transformed into nightmares. This was God's retribution, and she was truly deserving.

Oh, she, Kate Fuller, had closed her eyes in front of her brother's crying face; and woken to a new world. Maybe this was a second chance, an offering to right the wrongs, but Kate saw the truth of it straightaway. _**What had mattered had been lost.**_ And forcefully she had been returned from death and imprisonment, to face it all.

This was her punishment. God, what had she done in the name of her family?

 _And in the name of God, all sinners shall repent or return to hell to burn for eternity._

Behind closed eyes she saw it happen again. The blood on her hands, on Scott's face. On her father's chest. She had given her all, and it had cost just as much.

" _I gave you all the love that I could possibly give."_

Like the words, the pain felt real in her head, but it was only visions, yes? Her words; her memories of Kate, the girl she once had been. Imminent death had painted a stark picture, burned it to her memory. Scott, Richie, Carlos. God, betraying her.

Utter devastation, she felt the echo in her bones, how it had sunk in her heart, eroding all strength. The pain of the gunshot had paled in comparison to the torment she had felt once she had realised her plight. In the light of her own foolishness she had laid bleeding. And they had stood watching, mocking. How she had sacrificed all for nothing, and not even realised her own idiocy until it had shot her dead. Realising this, she had laughed right back.

 _"And for what?"_

There they had stood, looking so devastated. _Now they cared._ They were going to lose her, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Scott was wailing her name, whereas he had just stood and stared. Richie, oh handsome Richie, with his angelic face and cruel mouth. How she had hated him and craved for his attention at the same time. How wrong it had been, to let him touch her. Richie, with his killer hands, his dark heart. How wickedly wrong it was to have it feel so sweet.

And with his cold eyes he had watched her fall. Her fall from grace.

 _Psalm 88:14O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?_

Uncountable hours later she had woken; not as Amaru, but as Kate. Kate, the fallen; Kate, trapped, again. Their voices had travelled from the adjoining room to where they had brought her. Arrogantly, they had discussed her fate – their future - as if they had any right. Trembling and barely able to stand, she had raised herself, seen the gun on the table, taken it; and run. To never see them again. _To bear the punishment alone._

 _"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."_

What she had found on the road was violence. Death. A game of hunt and kill. This was her punishment. _I am a sinner, dear Lord, and I cannot ever ask for forgiveness._ What she had done in the name of just cause, had turned out to be a sinner's cravings. And she had to bear the curse, because it was her destiny.

Back in the present, back in this dreadful place, Kate made a grab for her duffle back, carrying all that she called her own, and exited the room. She didn't want to meet the manager again, he had called her out two times already demanding his money. And Kate couldn't pay for another night.

57 miles and several days ago, she had had 132 dollars left. Now, the remaining 21,02 felt light in her pocket. Not enough to rent a room, not enough for a bus ride. Barely enough, Kate new, to survive in this godforsaken place for long. If she hadn't needed to run - …She needed to get a job again. Lay low. They had found her too easily this time.

She dropped the bag on the curve of the street. The 20 dollars wouldn't get her anywhere. Not without a passport, obviously. Not without any form of identification. Not if the truckers here were as nice as back in the Titty Twister. Bile rose, but the gone-Kate was not here to cry and collapse, and the new-Kate gulped down her fear like salvia. She made it part of her, building her steele resolve.

This was all part of the play. And she had learnt to stick to the rules.

As if on cue, some men loitering around a small rundown supermarket next to the motel, called out to her. Without a glance back at them, she picked up her pack and made a dash towards the supermarket. She had to figure out where she'd go next, preferably without getting noticed. But she stood out, with her modest clothing – and the blood that covered it.

Trailing down the aisle, Kate surveyed the store. Two other customers, the only ones she could see, roamed the adjoining aisle. She ignored them, as they ignored her. They posed no danger. Nights spent alone - hiding between furniture and waiting for them to come to get her again - nights filled with reoccurring nightmares, waking screaming; oblivious to the world until mindless fear transformed into knowledge of what she had lost - had come and honed her paranoia into survival instinct. It was all part of the game. Of her curse. Of her fate. Of the life she now led.

She felt his eyes on her back, before she saw him. A third costumer. She saw him through the stacks of noodles, his gaze fixed on where she had disappeared behind the pasta. His interest was dangerous, his beady eyes too focused to pass it off as mere curiosity. At once she could tell that he was not human. How, she could not explain. Ever since she had awoken, her sense had changed. At first she had written it off as a mere side-effect of her paranoia, but now, after weeks of running, after countless encounters like this – in alleys, in shopping-centres, diners, and bus stations – how could she doubt her senses? They were telling her he was culebra, and she didn't doubt it for a second. It had been a dreadful realisation that even in broad daylight she was not safe, but not more shocking than the discovery of her skill to identify them.

He would not follower her out of the store, though. Not unless he wanted to go up in flames. Unfortunately, some were quite determined when they smelled her blood. Damn her for not getting rid of the shirt right away. Daylights false sense of security had fooled her once again. Idiocy like that would her killed some day.

 _Not today, however;_ she swore to herself. She turned the corner, the tingling on her spine lessened, but she knew better than to stop now. With shaky hands she grabbed several cereal bars, two bottles of water and jogged to the cash register. The clerk scanned her products with a bored expression.

Kate felt her insides cramp up the longer she had to stay put. Already, the tingling in her spine had intensified. He was approaching her from behind. In a weak moment she glanced over her shoulder. He was big, not muscular. In his right hand dangled several beer cans. A man, or a culebra. Right now it didn't matter. She feared him.

"All?" The clerk drawled. Kate snapped around, heart beating fast. All of her senses were telling her ditch her purchase and get out of here, but she knew better than to give into the impulse. _They always liked to see her run_. She would not give him an invitation to screw her up, nor would she give him the satisfaction to see her squirm.

"No, thanks." She replied, her voice steady. "That's all."

"Do you need a bag?" He stared at her with blank eyes. Kate shook her head, heart pounding in her throat. "That's 5 dollar 10, then."

Kate handed him a ten dollar bill. Once the change touched her palms, she was out of the door. One last look over her shoulder was all she allowed herself, before she made a dash towards the intersection. The closed doors of the supermarket remained immobile. He had not followed her.

Several hours later, Kate was still walking along the road. The sun beat down on her. Kate only wore a white T and jeans, but she felt too hot. A mile back she'd stopped at a liquor store and bought another bottle of water. Down to 12 dollars, walking along the breaches of desert and human population. Two truckers had already stopped and invited her to hop on. She'd refused. How could she not? She couldn't trust them. She could trust no one.

 **God, have mercy.** How long till the sun went down? Even if she dreaded the heat now, she feared the night more.

A car horn yanked her out of her contemplation. She turned, dreading the confrontation. What if they would not take no for an answer this time round? The weight of the Glock was both reassuring and disconcerting against her side. Six bullets left, six times a miss? Was it enough to kill a culebra? After all she'd been through it seemed unlikely that luck was on her side now.

A dark red family van pulled to the curb a few meters before her. A man stepped out of the car, and a woman followed him soon after.

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 **A/N: Liked it? Any idea what will happen next? Who are they? Do they mean any harm? And where the heck is Richie?**

 **Don't worry, you will find out soon enough! We have still some time to kill before the , don't we? So leave a comment and the next chapter will be uploaded in no time. It means the world to me and takes only a little bit of your precious time.**


	2. Chapter 2: Hunt and Kill

**Thank you for the review** **abidy3r** **and guest! Your words encouraged me to keep on writing. it means so much to me to get some positive feedback.**

 **So here is your next chapter – enjoy!**

 **Chapter 2: Hunt and Kill**

"Dear," the middle-aged woman spoke first, her flowery dress fluttering in the hot desert wind. "Look at you."

By her words, Kate felt almost ashamed of the way she must look right now. Sweaty, dirty, utterly exhausted – she must look horrible. The woman, though, gave her no time to shy back. She turned to her husband. "Dean, look at her! We should have stopped the first time we saw her!"

The man grumbled something under his breath, but stepped up to Kate with a gentle, apologetic smile on his weathered face. On reflex, Kate stepped back. Where she'd once seen kind faces, kindred spirits; she now saw a possible demon's disguise, and a threat.

This was her life now. This was her punishment.

 _There is no health in my body_ _because of Your indignation;_ _there is no strength_ _in my bones_ _because of my sin._

"'Scuse me, miss. My wife seems to think you need a ride." He offered his calloused arm, but Kate made no move to take it.

"Oh, she is not taking an afternoon stroll, is she, Andro? She needs a ride and we are giving her one." Faster than she could retreat, or realise what was going on, Kate was tugged towards the van. "Don't be shy now, we are good people." consoled the woman. Kate tried to school her features into a more pleased expression. Inside, she was torn between what she felt to be a normal reaction to this kind offer, and her true feelings.

"Uhm, .. thank you Mr. and Mrs.-…" She stopped short, she didn't know their names, of course, "but I really don't-"

The woman would have none of her excuses.

"Fernandez, dear. But please do call us Eva and Andro. We already passed you once, but my husand- ," she made a laden pause, and her husband caved under her gaze and put his hands up in a gesture of defeat, "he was hesitant to stop."

"There are all kinds of folks maundering round here." He explained. If only he knew how right he was. And that was why she couldn't get in their van. These were good people, hopefully – maybe – God, she could not tell anymore. Certain was by getting into their life they were inviting disaster. They had no idea what kind of danger she posed to them - they only saw that they wanted to see. To them she was a lost girl, walking along the highway. An innocent. A good Christian.

If they only knew of her real nature, they wouldn't have stopped then. She clutched her arms close, trying to calm herself.

 _Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Psalm 51.4_

Yet, the woman wouldn't take no for an answer. Eva and Andro drove her all the way to the outscirts of the next little clustering of homes. Kate had set, frigid, in the backseat, listening to them chatter about mundane stuff. She heard all about the new Walmart, which had opened just a few days ago in the next big city; and about the houses that had been built for young families up near the highway.

For a short while they gave her a glimpse into normal lives, and she in turn told them what they wanted to hear. How she was a missionary, a pilgrim, trying to find the path to God by abandoning all comforts of the flesh. Yada, yada, yada. They gave her food, free travel; she fed them lies. Every word that slipped from her tongue made her more the sinner, but she could not stop it, even it she wanted to. This was how she survived.

This was her curse.

They waved her off like an old friend. Kate almost felt the loss when they pulled out of the parking lot. Then her eyes focused on the glass doors of the little diner. Sundown's Diner, big fat letters said up front. In the newspaper, she had stolen back in the motel, they had advertised an open job. A job, she desperately needed.

As she stepped towards the doors, a horrible feeling of deja-vu took hold of her. How many more times, doing the exact same thing – running away, finding a job, waiting; until they came for her again – before it would finally end?

 _But hell, Katie-cakes, lasts for eternity, did you forget?_

Two weeks later, Kate woke to an all familiar setting. She was in a small two-bed-room, the girl, Ashley, in the bed on the other side of the room still asleep, snoring gently. Kate moved her stiff limbs, crawled off the bed. Her feet touched to dusty carpet, and little needles poked into her soles. Barefoot, she dragged herself to the single table near their shared cabinet. There, she got herself one of the two glasses and filled it with water. With one gulp she washed the sweet, iron taste from her mouth. _This is not right_ , her brain supplied. One should not feel more tired after 8 hours of sleep, one should not taste blood on your tongue every morning. She gulped the thought down with another dose of cold liquid.

While she got ready for work Kate did not bother to be quiet. Ashley wore earplugs. Ever since she had been violently woken by Kate's screams the first night they had shared the room, she made it a habit. Nightmares, Kate had explained, but not elaborated. They were not friends, there was no need to explain. No comfort shared, no lies told. Kate had bought Ansley some earplugs, and they had never spoken about it again. Besides, the blonde girl was doing nightshifts, Kate the mornings. If they ever got any chance to talk, it was more along the lines of: _"Boss told me he wants you to be in early." or "We are out of toilet paper. Did you use it up?"_ Kate accepted it for what it was. She wasn't here to make friends.

Today, a note greeted her at the door. She saw it just as she was about to exit from their little alcove. _"Jeff wants you to stop by in the morning,"_ it read. _Great_. Tugging her keys into her diner-uniform, she hurried down the steps into the Sundown's Diner. The old sun shaped clock on the wall above the door read quarter to 6. She'd have to hurry, or else they would open up late.

"You wanted to see me." A muffled invitation reached her ears. Reluctantly, she followed the veiled command and opened the door to Jeff's office.

"Dana," Jeff greeted her with the fake name she had given him. He was a small man with serious eyes. He ran the diner ever since his uncle had died and left it all to him. An unpleasant smell always surrounded him; and he made no secret of his opinion of women. Kate avoided him as much as she could, and as he rarely got out of his office, it wasn't a hard feat. But now he had called, and Kate had to follow his command.

"You wanted to see me." Kate repeated, trying to hurry things up.

"I need you to work the night shift today." Her boss said, never one to beat around the bush. Kate stood very still. "Now, you made it pretty clear that you didn't work nights, but that's how it is, girl. Henrietta called in sick, that lazy wench."

Dread settled in her bones. She knew what kind of costumers the diner attracted at night. "Can't Fiona-…"

"No." Jeff leaned back, looking smug. "Now go and do what I pay you for. You will work till 12, then come back when the night-shifts starts. You still earn me money, girl, must I remind you?"

Hands trembling, she left his office.

From the window of their shared bedroom she watched the sun set. Now, this was usually the signal for her to curl up on the bed, clutch the Glock close, and wait for dawn to approach. Not today. Two weeks, that's how long it had taken for things to go wrong. It seemed like every time she moved, she would get less time in peace. For a short while she played with the idea to just pack her things now and get out of here before the culebra had a chance to find her. But she just couldn't do it.

Some idiot part of her still held unto the hope that things would not be as bad as she pictured them to be. Mondays weren't especially busy. Maybe no culebra would stop at their joint tonight. They were not a common sight in these parts of the town. Sundown's Diner wasn't chic, but not rundown either. It had felt like a safe-kind of in-between. Until now.

Four hours into the night shift, Kate felt her spirits rise. She served four tables full of tired truckers; no culebras had shown themselves so far. Her guests kept her reasonable busy, so when the door opened again, and two men sat down her section, she did not noticed them right away.

She tucked out her notebad and pen, and snatched up two menues. Even after 12 pm people wanted to get served hot food.

"What can I get you?" Waiting for the order, Kate barely looked up. If she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her either. It was a foolish idea, she just couldn't seem to shake. It felt easier to function that way, however. People were just drifters here, and she was nothing more than a driftwood, stranded at the bank, waiting to be swept away again if a flood came. So, that was how she did not see the true disaster coming.

"Dana." A deep voice stated. Kate looked up to watch brown eyes wander from her nametag to her modest cleavage. Just like that, she knew. A culebra. Not one, but two. "You can get me something of your little time, missy." He added, and shivers raced down her spine.

"We have the beef-steak as today's special. Maybe I can get you one, sir?" She replied, her voice falt, the lines well-rehearsed. Inside, she was shaking.

She inched back a bit, and he made no move to go after her. Hope flared inside of her, like a flame that could not be put out. Most culebras had taken a liking to her pretty soon. These two hadn't. At least not more so than other disgusting perverts.

"No." He barked, sharing a sly smile with his friend. Kate let her eyes do a quick once over of him. He was, too, was of Spanish descendant, and in contrast to his companion, his eyes were fixed on her cross. Most of the time, she forgot it was there at all, but the way he stared at it made its weigh be felt on her skin, almost as if it was burning up. An unpleasant feeling, but she ignored that, too. She wasn't wearing the cross for protection. That's what the gun was for. She couldn't wear it under her working-uniform, though. A stake, hidden on her thigh, would have to do. Right it felt like feeble substitute. Yet, culebras rarely came to this establishment and it had felt safe to leave the gun upstairs. _Oh Katie-cakes, will you ever learn?_

But they weren't showing any interest, at least not the blood-craving kind. Ignoring her tingling senses, she asked them again for their order, and this time they finally sent her away to go fetch a Cognac and a White Russian. No food _._

 _I doesn't have to mean anything_ , she told herself. Most men came to get a drink after a hard day's work. An hour late, she was both relieved and confused. Maybe her sense had been wrong. These culebras were just enjoying their stiff drinks, not minding her – or her blood.

The evening flew by, and after serving them and tending to her other tables, she barely had time to worry. It was a busy night.

"I'll get going now," she told Ashley, who had been assigned to close up. It was past 3 o'clock and only a few costumers were still sitting tending to half empty beer-bottles. The two culebars, or men, had left a while ago. Joe, their bartender, was busy getting rid of the rest. By now Kate couldn't wait to get out of there. She'd already tested her fate, and she didn't want to take any chances now. Ashley, tidying up the bottles behind the bar, shot her a tight smile.

"Bye, Kate." Kate froze on her way to the stairs. "Don't worry. I don't _need_ your help." She turned, fingering the hard ridges of her keys.

"You want me to help?" She asked, dreading the answer. They may not be friends, but after living two weeks with someone in the same room you picked up on subtle things. Like _that_ tone.

"If you want," retorted Ashley, her tone haughty.

Kate took a deep breathe, accepting the inevitable. She wouldn't leave her roommate alone to close up. Some of the men could get nasty when it was time to head home.

"Great." Ashley exclaimed. "Do you mind then-.." She pushed two bags full of waste into Kate's arms. "Throw them out; I'll clean the tables in the meanwhile."

The cold night air pushed into her face like a physical blow. The contrast to the indoors was so stark that she had to pause before she could continue. The two bags in hand, she then rounded the corner. Too late did she hear the voices. By the time she realised she was not alone, she had already stepped into the streetlight. Two familiar eyes met hers. Then her gaze broke away and found another set. His were wide with fear.

"Dana," he rasped, and Kate recognized his voice. His face, though, was unrecognizable. Blood dripped from a wound on his temple, a large part of skin had been torn off his forehead, and his throat – Her eyes shot up, met beady brown ones again. The Culebras from the diner. And they had their night-manager, Zayne.

"What a nice surprise." The man to her right called out, and a familiar smirk played on his lips. "So I do get a little bit of your time, after all." It was the one who had spoken to her earlier.

Already, she hated him. And she hated herself for walking in on them, for not bringing her gun everywhere she went; but mostly for not running away now. She shouldn't care. She barely knew Zayne – the cost was too high. Still, she could not abandon him.

 _Dear God_ , for all the things she had been punished for, she still did not learn.

" _She's not even supposed to be here."_ A voice called in her head, distant, but she could hear every last word like he had shouted it in her ear. She led the bags of waste hit the ground next to her feet.

"Get her." Beady-Eyes ordered, and Kate snapped out of her reverie just in time to see him transform from ordinary man into scaly monster. It didn't come as a shock, though, and she lost no time in readying her hidden weapon. Realisation dawned on the culebar's face, but it was too late. The stake touched his flesh, parted it, and drove into his heart soundlessly. He barely made a surpised "Ah." before he erupted into burning ashes. His own momentum had impaled him on the stake. Kate did not pull pack, but watched his remains float to the floor.

"Bitch." The other culebra screeched, and abandoned his kill in favour of another victim. Kate stepped back, brought her arms up in a defensive position. She knew better than to attack him head on. She had no chance in a hand-to-hand combat. His reflexes were quicker, he was stronger, and bigger. "What you did to my friend," the culebra promised darkly ,"I will do to you friend here, after I'm done with you."

She didn't bother replying, or praying. Instead she gritted her teeth, and waited for his next move. Until now, a wise choice.

"You come prepared, little girl." The culebra sneered.

He made a leap for her, and she barely escaped his claws. They shredded her blouse and drew blood. Her heart pounded, as she backed up more. All these months she had been so careful. She'd never left her room after dark, had not gone anywhere but to the small supermarket down the street, had not spoken to strangers outside of work and for what?

 _For playing the fucking hero again,_ a cruel voice supplied slyly. _Because Katie-cakes always wants to be something better._

The culebra as if sensing her moment of weakness, chose this moment to attack again. Kate saw him coming, yet it did her no good. He slapped her hands away, blocked her kicks, and had her pinned against the diner's wall with next to no effort. A sob born of pure terror and frustration broke from her lips.

"Such a sweet girl. And I thought I imagined it…." He whispered in her ear, burying his head deep in her locks. "Dear Mariosa," he mumbled to himself. "I've never smelled … so delicious." She struggled against him, but he held her stake-arm fast and her body pressed against the concrete. Cold air touched her skin when he pushed her hair out of the away. Then his teeth grazed over her flesh, almost gently. "Sweet, Jesus.." He slurred, as if in trance. "I have to taste…"

In the next moment, pain burned through her nerves like acid. Had he not held her mouth, her scream would have carried over to the parking lot and further beyond. Her outcry, though, was muffled by his bruising grip on her lower jaw. Through the haze of hot red pain she heard him feast on her throat. It was a sickening sound. _Slurp, slurp_ , as if he was sucking on a pudding with a straw. Again and again, with her last strength; she fought his grip like a maniac; but she was no match for his supernatural strength. Every movement hurt, made his teeth bite into her neck deeper.

Fighting for her live, fighting a losing battle – Kate realised, once more, that she was not ready to die. Not when she knew that heaven was not for her -

Suddenly, her attacker was gone, her throat ripped open. Free of the culebra's grip, Kate fell to the ground, and her hand found her mauled flesh-wound, trying to stop the blood-flow. She clamped down on it, tears streaming down her cheeks, and looked up to see Zayne struggle with the monster. Two heartbeats later, almost too late, she realised that he would soon be overpowered, just like her. She found the stake on the ground and clutched it with both arms.

No hesitation delayed her attack as she stabbed the vampire from behind. With all the strength she had left she pushed the stake deep – past his rips and his muscles, and into his undead heart. He did not erupt in flames right away. Zayne had to push down on the stake with her in order to drive it deeper. Then, after what seemed like a never-endings struggle, he turned to burning dust.

There was a moment of utter silence where they stared at their attacker's remains. Soon, though, their laboured breathing, and Zayn's groan broke the spell, and reality sank in.

"Fucking – I mean – fuck…" Zayne heaved, his body bent in half. "I need - … What is that-…"

Before Kate could open her mouth; they were interrupted. Two men approached them from the parking lot, and Kate's senses tingled. Culebra, all of them – and they had seen it all.

"Interesting show." A bald one drawled, his laughter biting the air.

Zayne collapse beside her on the street, unconscious. A short glance to check for his breathing, moving body was all she allowed herself. Then she focused on the men that had stopped a few meters away. No man at all, though.

"I can't blame him for trying." The one who had already spoken, said. "I've smelled nothing like it…" Kate saw his gaze turn hungry, and knew it was only a question of time before he would go for her jugular.

"Back off!" She called, even to her ears it sounded foolish. With only a stick of sharp wood in her hands, why would they take her seriously? "Back off now, or I'll –"

"Let me," the other man – no, culebra – interrupted. He stepped infront of the other, stating his claim. "I saw her first."

"I will taste her, Jacko. No doubt about it, so step back, or _I will rip you fucking lungs out_." They stared at each other, both of their beasts lurking close to the surface. The bald one stepped forward, and everything erupted into snarls. Kate backed up, two steps, three – four – it was all the time it took for one of them to turn to dust. The victor snarled at her, his fangs long.

"Now, let me taste you." He said.

Kate turned, and ran. Every time her soles hit the pavement, she felt fainter, slower. Closer to death. He was fast, but twists and turns past dumpsters and abandoned ware-houses had him at a disadvantage. Breathless, she collapse against a crate, hidden now and unable to go on. Her hand came up to touch her mauled neck. Even before her fingers made contact with dried blood, she knew what she would find. A half-closed wound.

 _Impossible._ Like telling culebras from real man.

"Found you." A wicked voice stated. Kate was hauled from her hiding-place. He yanked her hard against him, her back bumping into his chest. "Now, spare me a taste, little princess…"

"Wait." She pleaded, her voice breathless and weak. Certainly not strong enough to stop this culebra from mauling her. Incredibly enough, it was. Kate took his short pause as chance, and quickly came up with a plan – not a good, one but one that would ensure she lived a little longer. All she needed was time and she would come up with a better plan. Until then, this had to work – So, a deep breath, and words where spilling free. "You smell my blood, and you like it, don't you?" She bit out, her whole body rigid with fear. His grip tightened.

" _Yessss_."

She had to take a deep gulp before she could continue. "-But think about it, but what if you could have more?"

"More?" He breathed into her hair, Kate felt ill.

There was nothing but words to save her, however: so, she continued. "There are more of me. _Many more_." Her words were met with silence. Dread settled in her bones. It wouldn't work. "Your Lord -Imagine his delight if you… if you bought me to him." 

"Why would you want me to bring me to him… you fate is set, little girl. No doubt about that."

She ignored him. "We taste sweet, don't we? You must smell it." She implored, shuddering as his fingers ghosted over her neck. "There are more, many more. I can tell you where."

He did not reply right away. "Maybe I will just torture it out of you now."

"No!" She cried, desperate. "You can't do that. Don't you want your Lord to …sample me. So he knows what you can get him – and _reward you-_ "

"Yes, maybe they would like that..," He mumbled. "The one with the glasses has a weird taste for girls like you, little princess. He would reward me."

Kate's whole body lit up. Was it hope, dread, fear – or all mixed into one horrible swirl of emotions? "Richard?" She whispered, dreading the answer.

 **A/N:**

 **Some thoughts on the story:** **My general idea was to capture Kate's inner struggle after her death, resurrection and imprisonment in her own body. I mean, those are some hard memories to shake. You cannot** _ **not**_ **change as a person after that. Even Kate – trusting, ever faithful Kate – has a breaking point. We watched that happen, right? We watched her break down, abandon her faith - She told Richie to burn in hell. For a Christian like Kate, that was pretty much the worst she could say.**

 **We pick up after that – it was the last time Kate and he spoke. For Seth and Kate it's even longer than that. So, you see, they can't be a pretty reunion. So buckle up, it's going to be a hard ride!**

 **What are your thoughts on the story so far? How will they meet? Any ideas? How is Richie going to react to seeing her again? And Seth, I believe she stole his gun before she ran away.**

 **I'd love to hear some of your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3: Bloodlust

**Finally, Richie is making an appearance!**

 **Between Dusk and Dawn**

 **Chapter 3: Bloodlust**

"What do you know about the Geckos?" The culebra snapped and his fingers travelled up her stomach towards the gentle swell of her breasts.

"I know them," She bit out in a wavering voice, not sure where this would take her, but unable to bear more of his touch. "They want me." She lied. "Richard – … and Seth, they are your Lords. They want me."

He laughed into her neck, taking his time to lick the dried blood off. The wound had not healed yet, so it hurt. Kate endured it, feeling sick to her stomach when he bit down softly. Life and death; this was a crossroad.

"Yes, I will take you, princess. So I can have a good taste later on and my reward."

"They will reward you." She whispered, but in truth, she wasn't so sure.

They were Lords now? What would they do to her, should she return? Richie; she had spat in his face in the moment of her death. She had literally wished him hell. And Seth, they had parted ways long before then. He had ditched her as soon as things had gotten complicated. What did they care about her? Both, so she had gathered, she had tried to kill while being possessed. What if they found out about her changes – the sweet blood, her new sense, her unusual fast healing – and decided she was a threat? Or worse, not Kate, but Amaru still controlling this body? They would kill her.

And still, … like the idiot she was, she hoped for their protection. She was twisted like that. Unable to let her stupid ideas of faith and humanity go, even when the world had spat in her face.

As the culebra shut her in the back of the trunk, she wondered about her choice. _God Almighty_ , what had she done?

She must have lost consciousness because she woke in a strange place without any idea what had happened between then and now. Someone had handcuffed her to a metal pipe direct in line to a closed door. The walls were made of stone; no windows. This place wasn't familiar, but then again, what did she know about the Gecko brothers anymore? She'd only stayed at their place long enough to wake up and run away with one of Seth's guns. This could be their lair, or another prison. The culebra could have lied.

In the end, it didn't matter. She was chained to a wall, her cursed blood everywhere, and culebras roamed these halls. No matter what lord they served, they would be hungry for her.

Time passed, maybe two hours, or just two minutes. Fatigue warped time, she wasn't sure if she had lost consciousness at some point and woken up again. The sound of a male's voice pulled her out the trance. At first it sounded far off, but drew nearer. Someone was approaching.

"I know how you like them, my Lord. And her blood is sweet, I tell you. Like nothing you have tasted before." There was a pause, but Kate could not hear anyone responding. "I could have bought her to him, but I didn't. Come, see."

The door opened. She recognized him well before he did. How could she not? A lifetime ago a face like his had had her swooning. Now, her feelings ran much deeper. Darker.

"Kate." Once again he had her cowering on the floor, covered in her own blood. The joke was on her.

"Richie." She replied, and thanked her voice for not betraying her true feelings.

Then Richie's gaze travelled from her face to the red centre of her wound. His beast emerged at once, changing his handsome face into a devil's mask. A deep growl erupted from his chest, and all pretend fell away; his steely composure gone. Kate braced herself for the inevitable – already she felt his fangs pierce her tender flesh – but, inexplicably, he turned from her and faced the culebra who had brought her.

"Do you like her?" The smaller man inquired, his voice thin with trepidation.

"Oh, I do." Richie said, his voice flat. "But do you know what I like even more?" Slowly, he approached him.

"Another one?"

In an instant, Richie had him pinned against the wall, the man's feet dangling in mid-air like a puppet's. "To see you die for touching her." And with that he ripped the man's head right off. Like a madman, he snarled at the burning remains until nothing remained.

Even with all evidence gone, Kate could not find breathe. There had been no time to prepare for such an unspeakable act of raw violence. _He had ripped his head off._ Again, she tried to grasp for air because even if he didn't need to breathe, she had to; but her mouth closed around nothing.

"Kate." Richie said, but it only caused it to get worse. Then she felt his hands on her – the very hands who had just ripped a man's head off – and she lost it. After that, only darkness.

She woke to sound of muffled voices, alone in a room decorated in dark, rich colours. She recognized the place and it was like five months ago all over again. She felt too weak to get up, though, and resignation made it easy to just lie there and wait for something to happen. The door opened, and Kate, without opening her eyes, sensed his approach. It was as if she was fine-tuned to his presence, her body tingling all over.

 _Dear God,_ this was almost too much to bear.

"I know you are awake." Richie said. As usual, his voice gave nothing away. Kate opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Even without looking at him she knew where he stood, how many meters separated them and that it they not were not nearly enough space between them.

"Say something." He ordered and it made her laugh. It sounded ugly and forced. When she finally spoke, her voice was small, but steady.

"Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. Ezekiel 36:31." Her whole focus was on the empty marble table at the end of the room.

Richie didn't seem to like her reciting bible verses, because next thing she knew Richie in her face, his long fingers locked around her wrist, his other hand on her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his.

His grip felt cold. Brutal. Unfamiliar.

"Stop wasting our time." He spat. "Where have you been? What happened?"

Kate turned her head, forcing his grip to lessen up. Richie had that way of looking into her soul, and she did not want him to see. He would not like what he would find, and neither would she.

"Tell me, Kate." She focused on his command, not on the shivers that raced down her spine. If it took only words to get rid of him, she was ready to deliver. Kate cleared her throat.

"I was doing fine." Richie laughed a cold, cruel laugh.

He let her go then, and Kate sat up. She didn't want him so close; she drew in her knees. And she kept inching back, even if her muscles protested. "Where is Seth."

"Not here talking to you _Kate_. Answer my questions."

She watched him pace the room from out of the corner of her eye. "Around." She replied, but his scowl made her reconsider her words. "Trying to forget."

How could she ever want to return to this place? She hated it. Like nothing else, she wished to spat the truth in his face. Instead, she stared at her knees, noting that her jeans were ripped, bloody. She needed to change. Her blood would attract more culebra she could not fight in the state she was in. And she knew Richie would not let her run. Her heartbeat picked up speed even though there was no fight left in her. God she was just so exhausted, when would this ever stop?

"Nothing will harm you here." Richie said, catching her utterly off guard. Kate looked up, and was momentarily taken aback how close he was. Just a moment ago he had stood near the door. _Culebra_ , it whispered in her head; she could not trust him anymore than the others.

Disconcerted by his behaviour, she was driven by the need to stand on her own legs. She stretched them, and scooted forward until her feet touched the ground. Even this small movement hurt. " _Sure_." She mumbled, partly to distract him, partly to distract herself from the pain. His words meant nothing, she told herself. She was foolish to believe that he meant them.

Her legs would barely support her when she tried to stand up; Kate swayed on her knees. Richie moved towards her, but she flinched back and he stopped short. If she had looked close enough she could have seen a look of hurt cross his features. She hadn't, though. She musn't.

"Tell Seth-…, " She struggled for words, unsure why she had mentioned him at all, "tell him nothing. Don't tell him I was here."

"Oh, I will not tell _Seth_ anything." Kate looked up in alarm. As always, his expression was unreadable. How could someone so cruel have such an angelic face? Then his words caught up to her. What did he mean by it - was Seth okay? Had they fought again? As if he sensed her alarm, Richie clarified. "You can tell him yourself, Kate."

"I'm not staying."

"Oh, yes, you are." Richie retorted, his tone cruel.

For the first time Kate looked at him, really looked at him. Immediately, his intense stare bore into her, making her truly believe that he could look right through her and into her soul. She could barely stand it, how could he?

Kate grit her teeth, willing herself not to look away. "You cannot make me stay."

"I can, Katie-cakes." His words burned like acid on her skin. He was a bastard. And she would not be trapped ever again.

Like in answer to her vow, her eyes fell on the gun holster draped around a leather armchair. She didn't let herself pause another second, it would give him just the time to stop her, and leaped. Just as her fingers settled around the handle of the gun, Richie got hold of her wrist. None too gently, he shoved her against the wall, one arm pinned above her head, the gun trapped between their bodies.

His face was a mask. "Don't make me angry, Kate."

"I already have." She hissed, her breath coming in short gasps. Anger, even in the light of her utter powerlessness, made things seem so much clearer. "Whatever you want from me, you have no right to take it. Let me go."

"You will stay here." He declared, his face a cruel mask. She'd seen that look before. This was the calm before the storm. He was angry, all right. On a logical level Kate new she should be worried. Right now, though, she was blinded by her own emotions. Seeing him again, being forced to remember it all – it was torture. She had run to forget it all. She couldn't stand this place. She couldn't stand to be here any second longer. Not when her heart felt like splintering in thousand pieces if she did.

"Fuck you!" She spat, desperation clouding her mind. With new vigour, she struggled against his bruising grip. "You cannot command me. You have no right, you hear me! You took it all already. _I have nothing left to give you,_ Richard Gecko."

As if burned, he let her go. Kate almost fell over. Breathing hard she leaned against the wall, her head and heart throbbing painfully.

"I just saved you." Richie whispered, "Show some gratitude."

"You did nothing for me." She spat, again not meeting his eyes. "I will go now, and you will not follow me."

Kate picked up the gun, from where it had fallen in their struggle, and released the safety catch.

"And You will tell them to let me go." There was no need to exemplify, they both knew whom she meant. All the culebras outside were his to command, and once they got a whiff of her dried blood, she would be in a whole lot trouble. Richie was not stupid, he must know so too. So, why then, did he not let her go?

"Why do they carve you blood, Kate?"

Again, she forced herself to meet his stare, because there was no easy way to broach this subject. "And _you_?" She asked, her tone icy. God, it was almost unbearable to hold his stare.

Her eyes fixed on his face, she saw his expression change. A mix of regret and satisfaction twisted his face into a weird mask.

"It calls to me." Richie admitted. He came closer, circling her. Kate couldn't move. "So sweet…" He titled his head, and a smile suddenly playing on his lips. "But to me, you've always been sweet, Kate. So innocent, so determined. But something has changed, hasn't it? Your blood, it is different."

"S-stop." She stuttered. "I am not innocent." Richie continued his prowl, drawing closer with every step he took. Kate backed up against the wall, so he could not circle her any longer. She felt like an animal, trapped in a net that was slowly being pulled in. Panic pushed her heartbeat faster. And just as her shoulders met the solid barrier behind her, she remembered her gun.

Richie raised a dark eyebrow at the barrel it pointed at his torso.

"I'll shoot." She promised in a shaky voice.

"And I won't care." Richie bit out. "This is not a stake gun, Katie-cakes."

Suddenly, Kate realised that she was trapped with him. Not with Richie, the criminal that had once kidnapped her family, but with Richie the _culebra_ , who wanted a taste of her addictive blood. Why hadn't she seen this coming? Nothing but a gun in her hands was stopping him from ripping her throat open right now.

"You won't hurt me." She voice was weak. It sounded like a question to her own ears, or worse, like a child's plea.

"No, I won't." Richie said, gently. "I'll make it feel good…"

 **Uhoh.**

 **What's he gonna do?**

 **Review, and I'll post the next chapter. Don't review and it make take a while till I find the confidence to upload more.**

 **Now, for Richie's reaction: What are your thoughts on that? In his own way, he showed that he cared, right? He isn't the type to show his emotions, at least not his true feelings, so it's not easy to write good dialogue with him in the mix. You have to read between the lines. Did you?**


	4. Chapter 4: We Need to Talk

**Hello guys! Before you start reading – a big FAT thank you for all the positive feedback! Wow, I was floored by your response – and had I not been away on vacation ( to Croatia, Rovinj – a beautiful city!) I might have uploaded this chapter sooner. That being said – you are AWESOME – and hopefully you'll like this chapter. Now, it's kind of a filler, but some things just have to be said….So go on and read "We need to talk".**

 **Between Dusk and Dawn**

 **Chapter 4: We Need to Talk**

" _You won't hurt me." She voice was weak. It sounded like a question to her own ears, or worse, like a child's plea._

" _No, I won't." Richie said, gently. "I'll make it feel good…"_

An ice cold feeling washed down her entire body. There she stood paralyzed; just watching as his muscles coiled, getting ready for the pounce. Her wound throbbed viciously. This was it. Her breaking point.

Then, the door flew open. Against the lighter exterior a familiar silhouette grew bigger, until her wide eyes stared into Seth's angry face. He took one look at her, his gaze following her pointed arm to the gun pointed at his brother; and there it rested. "The fuck-." He cursed, and stepped between them to shove his taller brother away from her. Kate stood breathless, gun still pointed at where Richie had stood just now and tried to attack her.

"What do you think you are doing, Richie?" She stared at Seth's back, feeling an odd feeling of home-sickness engulf her. She breathed it away like a bad cramp.

"Getting a taste, brother." Richie sneered, but didn't try to move past Seth. "Eating up all the innocent little virgins, as usual."

Seth turned to her, ignoring his brother's sarcasm. Immediately, she saw his gaze settle on her wound, and his expression darkened considerably. "Fuck, Richie – . ?" He spat, anger cutting his words into small bits.

"I saved her." Richie retorted, his attitude as conceited as ever. "No, thanks to you brother."

Kate let that comment slide; she didn't want to get caught up in their constant bristling. She'd had enough of that to last for a lifetime. What she needed to do instead was get out of here.

"Stay put." Seth snarled, just as Kate had reached the door. "We need to talk, and _I don't care_ if anyone of you wants to, _this is happening_."

Five minutes later, it _was_ happening.

Seth drowned his fourth drink in one gulp, and set down the glass to regard her with a haunted, angry expression. Kate stared back at him, not flinching away even when his scowl darkened into a glare. "You," he said, his voice all low and velvety from the alcohol he had just drunk, "run away one more time, and I will give you the spanking you deserve."

"Fuck off."

Richie laughed. "That's nice. I like her new attitude." Kate knew he was half-way across the room seated in one of the big leather-armchairs, so she paid him no mind.

"Shut up." Seth snarled, not bothering to turn around and face his brother. How she hated Richie right now, for acting so rightful and just. He had done his share of fuck ups, but his last move - she was through with him, she told herself. The shivers that raced down her spine – they were just aftereffects of the adrenaline. _He had almost eaten her,_ after all

"Kid," Seth said, and Kate snapped out of it. "We'll figure things out together, right? You liked that together crap- remember? We are stronger together, shit like that." Expectantly, he stared at her. All Kate could think was - How dare he throw her own words back at her? They all knew she'd been a fool to hold onto unrealistic ideas of a family reunion, no need to mock her. She saw herself stand up, take the gun and ram the handle of it onto his thick head; but that was not happening, wasn't it?

"I changed my mind." Was all she said after a long pause. Once she got out of here his opinion hardly mattered, Kate decided. She didn't need to tell him to fuck off; in reality, he didn't even deserve her anger. Both, Richie and him; they didn't deserve anything from her.

"That doesn't sound like the Katie I know." Seth said, leaning forward. At that, pure anger shot through her.

 _Maybe_ , she wanted to shout, _you never knew the real Kate, because you were too busy getting drunk, or fucking whores on_ _ **our**_ _bed – that is - if you didn't get high on it._

There was a long pause; quite enough time for Kate to realise she must have said that out-loud. The feeling of embarrassment didn't set in. Instead grim satisfaction welcomed her with a cold embrace. Seth stood up and made himself another drink. Kate watched him silently. She wanted to laugh at the irony of it, but they were really past humour now, weren't they?

He was a lost man, drowning himself with alcohol. She understood that so many years ago, something must have happened to have left him in pieces desperate for a glue to fix himself up. Drugs, alcohol, and women. And he had never quite realised his state of broken. Oh, once she may have taken pity on him, but now, she only saw his weakness and found no ounce of compassion for him. They had all made their choices, if he couldn't live with them, then that was his business.

Richie cleared his throat; once again, not able to stay out of it. Strengthened by Seth's presence and the weight of the gun in her hands, she wanted to order him to shut his trap. Uncertainty of where she stood now with Seth, though, made her reconsider. The younger Gecko brother, however, seemed to think along the same lines as her, because he stared Richie down; and the older brother settled back into his chair, and barely hid a lopsided smile. "Go on," he said, "don't mind me."

"Funny that you say that now," Seth ground out after another sip from his glass, and lifted his drink in Kate's direction. "I always thought you get me, kid. Turns out I was wrong."

"Don't call me that."

"What? Kid? But you are."

"I turned eighteen last month." She told him through gritted teeth. And no thanks to him either. She had spent her first birthday-hours hidden in a toilet, gun pointed at the locked door. Not her best memories, and the ugly scar on her thigh was certainly not the best birthday present to receive. She didn't want to think about that now, though. Seth was just full of bullshit, and she needed to set him straight. She levelled her gaze on him, and enjoyed how he squirmed under it. "You never treated me like a kid anyway, did you?"

She heard Richie move, the leather creaked under his weight, but she ignored him. This was between Seth and her now. "You ditched me on the curb. Not a nice thing to do, for an _adult_."

"So, what? You wanted me to." Seth shot back, and leaned back onto the armrest of the couch. "Remember that too, Katie-cakes, because I do."

Once again he had her swallowing down a scream of indignation. She had been desperate to find her brother, she had just lost her family – everything – and all he could say was that she had _wanted him to leave her behind_.

"You know what, Seth," she said, her voice trembling, "we are through." She stood up and went for the door.

This time it was Richie who stopped her. "Now, just wait, Katie-cakes." Faster then she could react, he was out of his chair and approaching. "We are still not done discussing your little flavour upgrade."

She dared him to come nearer and try to bite her again. He read her well enough, because next he raised his hands in a mock gesture of defeat.

"Yes, let's talk about that." Said Seth in a light tone, snapping her out of their staring match. "What about that chic little hickey you've got there, and why was my brother literally trying to eat you up, kid? Not that he didn't try before, mind you." As Kate still watched Richie, she saw him grit his teeth in reaction to his brother's bemused face. "Just trying to keep up." Seth added, in a mockingly light tone that echoed his brother's sarcastic undertone from a few minutes ago.

Both of their gazes settled on her wound. And Kate moved her left hand to cover it up on reflex. It hurt, a lot. She bit the insides of her mouth, just to keep from crying out. Not betraying her discomfort, she spat. "What does it look like?" She mocked him. "I fell down the stairs."

"Looks like you screwed up royally, if you ask me. Maybe next time take the elevator."

His know-it-all attitude was seriously starting to piss her off. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but Richie beat her to an answer.

"Let's skip this bickering, shall we?" He had moved closer without Kate taking any notice, and Kate inched back, until the back of her knees bumped against the couch. Again, he had her cornered. Her heart started to race. He wouldn't try anything with Seth here, wouldn't he? He did not move closer, however, and if he had taken any notice of her reaction to him, he didn't show it. He leaned back against the wall near the couch and the closed door, and after he had adjusted his glasses, he offered them both a sly smile.

"Now, I do not mean to be rude, but we've more important stuff to focus on." he turned to her, his expression suddenly serious, "Let's talk about your… _blood_." The way he enunciated the word made Kate which for a much bigger space between them. He added no more to it, and Kate was almost grateful. God knew, she didn't want to hear him say anything about her blood ever again. Richie, however, was not done talking. "Admittedly, it makes me want to rip your throat out, just to have a taste - No hard feelings, Katie-cakes - Just trying to keep my **brother** _up to date_. So, can you guys ready to talk about that?"

A crackle of laugher filled the room. Seth's shoulders heaved, but his expression was well barren of any humour. "Just great. My brother has a taste for virgins."

Kate's cheeks flushed red, despite the situation.

"It's not that-…"

"Richie." Seth snapped, and righted himself to stare at Kate across the room, where she was backed against the couch. "What's that all about." He said, and it didn't sound like question. His tone was flat, resigned.

Kate's mouth felt dry, her tongue stuck to the roof of it. She didn't want to explain – she, herself, had only speculated on the reason – and she feared for their reaction. Rightly so. So, it couldn't get any worse with Richie, but Seth… What if a part of Amaru was still inside her? Would they want to get it out? At was cost? Seth could be pretty determined if he thought there was danger at hand. And Amaru had tried to kill him, not just once, but–

"Kate."

She could not explain. This was her curse to bear. Didn't they get it?

"Kate."

All at once she realised just how tired she was.

She couldn't cope with this right now. She had to get out of this room. She needed time to think – a place to where she could regain some strength. Her alarmed eyes strayed from Seth to Richie, but she couldn't settle for neither of them. She may be staring into their familiar faces, but right now she remembed nothing of the warmth they once shared. Had it even been real? All seemed so far away now. She didn't need the memory, she already wore the scars. There was no yesterday – and tomorrow still so far away.

A feeling not quite like helplessness engulfed her, and suddenly she found the words that might just set her free.

"How do you know Richie is not just going for my throat, Seth?"

Richie's posture grew stiff, but before he could defend himself, Seth beat him to it. "So what if I can't guarantee that, kiddo. But I remember a time were we trusted each other enough to say the truth. You get what I'm saying?"

Kate said nothing.

"Do you?" He implored, and stared at her, his expression blank.

Slowly, hesitantly, she nodded. Seth rewarded her with a tight-lipped smile. By the sight of it all false strength fell away from her. Whom did she want to fool? There was no fight left in her.

"Good, then let's go get you some new clothes and something to eat. You look like shit."

Seth took her by the shoulders, and suddenly overcome by such immense fatigue, she let herself be led from the room. One last glance back revealed Richie, his cold eyes directed at her. Something raw danced behind them. Something she could not quite name humane. Then, Seth and her rounded a corner and he was gone from her sight. The shivers, though, followed her up to her room and into her nightmares.

 **Kind of Seth-centric, but that's just how it is.**

 **Kate and Seth's relationship is way more stable than Richie's and Kate's, I'm afraid. I mean, yeah, they started off pretty intense, but then things just got in the way. Big things. Death. Kate is not a big fan of Richie, right now. What are your thoughts on that? Should she forgive him for all he has done? I mean she WAS pretty forgiving before she died, then again she called him a selfish bastard right before that in the car. And as for the time in-between that – let's just wait for the next chapter?**

 **Thank you again for your kind response!**

 **And, as awalys…**

 **Review and expect the next chapter to be up soon!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Real Threat

**A/N: Allright guys, here is the next chapter - and things are taking a turn for the worse...**

 **Thanks again for the kind replies :-D You make writing this story a true pleasure! Keep it up and I might just finish this story :-P**

 **BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Real Threat**

* * *

It had been early in the morning when Seth had ordered her to go to bed in a small, vacant room with just a bed and a dresser. Kate had taken one look at the room and recognised it for what is was.

"The sheets are fresh, aren't they?" This had earned her a dark look from Seth. Richie, thank God, had vanished right after their little talk.

"No worries, kid; all clean." He tugged on the bedding in a somewhat suspicious manner. "Would you just relax and not worry all the time? What has got you so worked up?"

 _Taken or given a dozen culebra attacks in the last past months, nothing big. What about you Seth, still downing those bottles like a true pro? What has_ _ **you**_ _got so worked up?_

Kate just shrugged once. Seth, then, scrutinizing her for a few more seconds, had muttered a weak _whatever_ and _goodnight_.

That had been seven hours ago. Kate lay on the mattress, eyes wide open and stared at the ceiling. Nothing interesting up there, but still so much better than getting up from that bed and facing them. She had still no idea what lies she would feed them. Certainly, not the truth. She had made up her mind about that. Seth would flip, and Richie just didn't care enough about her to give a fuck. Maybe he would even try to find a way to benefit from it. It seemed like such a Richie thing to do. It wouldn't be the first time he only considered his interests. Hatred burned brighter the longer she thought about him.

 _Why was it so easy to loath him_ , she wondered. A soft knock on the door interrupted her musing. At once she sat up straight, but made no moved to unlock the door.

"Quit hiding here." Seth's voice called from the other side of the door. "We need to talk."

To her dread, both the Gecko brothers and Santanico waited for her in the big office downstairs. Kate would have taken a detour, but one glance through the doors into the club had changed her mind. Minutes later, sitting in the office and waiting for someone to speak up, her body was still tingling. The brothers, so it seemed, ran a pretty popular culebra-inn, which meant sneaking away was a Mission Impossible without any chance of sequel.

Kate's real cause of worry was the woman in the room, though. With barely concealed antipathy she stared at the gorgeous demigoddess. Santanico stared back at her, the acid glace nothing but imitating.

"Any ideas?" Richie drawled, successfully diverting the attention of the other woman, "because if you got some, just spill it out." Santanico, raised herself up from where she had leaned against the door frame. The look she shot Richie was all but friendly.

"I can smell it." The woman offered, settling a judging stare back on Kate.

On step brought her nearer, then another. Kate, rooted in the stop right next to Seth, watched her approach with mounting apprehension. She wouldn't step back, however, not if it meant loosing face in front of this woman. As Kate understood it, this woman was singlehandedly responsible for luring them into the Titty Twister; and everything that had followed was ultimately her fault. Not to forget, there was the funny story about her and Richie.

An old feeling, dangerously close to the smouldering fire of joyously, had her claw at the armrest of the leather couch next to her. Santanico's dark eyes sparkled as if she knew what ran through Kate's head. As if she had the right to judge her, mock her, belittle her - No, she would not back down, even if the woman was almost upon her now. In the face of this demon, her fear meant nothing; remaining standing _everything_.

"The blood of Santa Sangre must have changed her." Sanatico's voice was deeper, darker now.

"Changed, how?" Questioned Seth.

"I don't know." She spoke, her voice velvet. "But her blood is very potent now, it could probably nourish a dozen of us."

Kate didn't like the hungry expression on her face, and on reflex she shot Seth a beseeching look.

"Well, it won't." Seth said immediately, returning her stare. "Tell us how to change it back."

"It won't. If it has stayed in her body until now, it will stay with her forever."

"So you are telling me," Kate spoke up, surprising herself the most. "That's how it is going to be – me being hunted by your kind until the day I die?"

Both the Gecko brothers opened their mouth, but half-goddess was quicker to reply.

"Yes, it will always lure us in, girl." A cold smile graced her perfect lips. "That is the nature of the blood of Santa Sangre, is it not?"

With alarm Kate noticed that Santanico was now standing right in front of her. And the culebra leaned forwards, breaching her personal space, invading her every thought and building up a need to escape – to flee from this predator that was too close – too near to strike out any time and end her.

"That _blood_ …" Her breath ghosted over Kate's skin as Santanico took a deep lengthy inhale. It felt like she was trying to suck out her soul. Kate's fingers rose to block her, but before they made contact with flesh, they stilled. None of the brothers did anything to help her. She stood alone against a demon who wanted to see her cower. And whose eyes she saw hatred glimmer like a dark pearl.

"That sweet blood of yours." Santanico continued. " _It_ is now part of you, girl – and it is a blessing." Her fingers ghosted over Kate's heated check, not quite touching but threatening her with the unwanted closeness.

No one intervened. The time spent alone was nothing compared to the isolation she felt know.

"No." She whispered. In this room full of strangers, burdened with a fate worse than death – she was going to survive this. "It is a _**curse**_." Kate spat. Then she pushed past the half-goddess, with all intention of taking her chances with the culebra outside rather than with the ones in this room. Like a funny little recap of yesterday, she was intercepted at the door. Richie's tall frame blocked the open doorway. Hurt, scared, and sick with dread she glowered at him; willing him to back off. He didn't.

" .go." She spat. "I've dealt with it on my own, I don't need you to trap me here."

Richie's lips moved, but his voice was so low that she didn't quite catch it.

"What?" She snapped.

"How long have you known?" His voice was strained and Kate felt herself captivated by their raw sound. So, it took her a second to figure out what he meant. Before she could reply, or give name to an unwanted heat inside of her, Seth intervened.

"We need to figure this out." Seth announced from across the room. He stood up, and approached them. "So, let me recap – ever since Kate got possessed by that Queen, she's changed – I get that, we have been over this, remember? All that shit talk about not getting Kate back –" Kate's head shot around to face Seth. _What was he talking about? What did he mean by not going to get her back_? "-well, it was clearly bullshit, wasn't it? We got rid of Amaru, Kate's back. So let's face this."

"But Amaru," A new voice announced, "she's left her little goodbye gift, has she not?", and Kate looked past Richie's shoulder to see a figure approach from behind him. No more than that though. Her medium height got swallowed by the Gecko's much bigger frame. Richie turned halfway, and Kate saw his posture stiffen. This could not be good.

"What do you want?" Richie snapped in a harsh tone. Clearly, whoever had just wrecked their private little show-and-tell, had no high favour in his book. He made no move to get out of the way, so by the time the person spoke up again Kate only knew it was a woman by the sound of it.

"I am here to open your eyes about the real danger. Now move aside, Mr. Gecko. You'd like to see her safe, don't you?"

There was a long, tension-filled pause; then, Richie backed off. A woman entered the office, her hair midgnight black and pulled into a tight bun. She turned her focus on Kate once she had settled against the armrest of a chair, farthest from Seth. Her eyes were sharp, and Kate found them to be quite unforgiving.

"Did you send an invitation?" Seth called out to Richie, "because I do not remember inviting the bitch-squad."

That's when Kate took notice of the other two. They stood near the door, looking disinterested. Bodyguards, maybe. Just who was this woman – this culebra – that she needed escorts?

"Must you remind you what happened last time she was freed?" She said, eyes on Kate even though her words not meant for her.

" _She_ is gone." Seth replied. "No need to rehearse all the little good stories." Kate couldn't shake the odd feeling that he said that for her benefit. Sadly, there was no time to feel grateful, because Richie decided to speak his mind.

"Yes. Let's focus on why you are here, Ximena. Did Venganza send you?" Richie stepped up to the woman, his expression dead serious. If Kate had fought him angry yesterday, he was beyond livid now. "Got your little spies nestled in our fine establishment? Now, while we're discussing it - care to drop some names?"

The woman did not have the decency to look guilty.

"Yes, we have our eyes everywhere, Mr. Gecko." She gave him a hard look. "We kept tabs on her ever since you brought her back, but somehow we … lost track of her." The sour look on her face revealed her real feelings about it. "Amaru is dangerous, we could not let you handle it on your own."

Kate's heartbeat skipped a beat. So, she had been followed?

"And now you've come back and what-...?" Richie spat, spreading his arms wide. "Take over? Not happening." He advanced on Ximena, who did not back away; but whose expression darkened considerably. "You know, what I hate more than people showing up without an invitation is the cowardice of some. But I guess you learned from the best, Ximena. That reminds me, how's Venganza, still on the run from something or another?"

Ximena gritted her teeth, and both her escorts hissed. A powerful shudder ran down Kate's spine when Richie's answered with one of his own. "Now listen close, and I'll only ask you this once-" His next words were acid. "What do you want with Kate?"

"And what do you want with her, Mr. Gecko? So concerned about her well-being, it breaks my undead heart."

Her words found a disconcerting consonance in Kate. So many many weeks ago she would have had no hesitation to come to Richie's defence – now? She wasn't so sure anymore. The Kate before – the old Kate, who had been so foolishly naïve and had paid for it with her life, was gone. Here stood the older, wiser version. All Ximena's questioning did now was nurture Kate's own mistrust. After the look he had given her yesterday, the hunger she had seen in his eyes - _How could she feel differently?_ This was a game of hunt and kill, after all. And she knew the rules. And certainly, so did Richie.

"Get out." He said in a quiet voice, void of all emotions.

"I agree with my brother here. Amaru is gone for good, Kate is none of your business."

"But I'm your business?" Kate snapped, riled by Seth's comment. "You don't fucking care." Then she turned her gaze towards Richie, her eyes flat and serious. She stared at his stupid, handsome face and it felt so easy to spat all the pent up anger right at him. "Last time I checked you told me to 'Go Bible-thump my way to the next town'.' _Right before your selfishness got me killed_."

" _Not now_." Richie ground out. Kate's expression darkened. Suddenly, this wasn't about a stupid remark, but about everything else. NOT NOW? - That's all he had to say? Like an echo his words beat at her, until she felt white hot rage, making her muscles ache with restrained violence. She could not remember ever feeling this shamed. This angry.

"Kate, sit down." Richie said, but she did nothing of the sort.

She wanted to hurt him so bad, and it was sick, _sick, sick_. So many miles she had put between them and in her head it had felt like enough distance to make it all fade away. No more resentment, no more hurt, no more blame. Or so she had thought. Here it was, the truth of it all, staring at her with his placid expression. Her every cell and thought was possessed with the knowledge that she wanted to hurt him. She wanted to rip his detachment right from his face. Slam his head against concrete until it got soft and slick with his blood and bodily fluids. Take the gun out of Seth's hand and let him swallow its muzzle until he begged for her forgiveness.

She stared at him and this time, she hid nothing. But Richie's gaze remained stoic, as if he were staring into his own blank visage. _She stood in a room full of enemies._ The awareness crawled over her skin like spiders. And she wanted out. Out of this fucking room, this body that had been violated, used, and been worn by a demon. Out of this life, already once wasted away; it didn't feel like hers anymore.

"Kate, sit down." Richie repeated. She ignored him.

Ximena seized the moment to redirect the conversation. "How do you know Amaru does not still reside inside of her? I've oveheard your discussion -.."

" 'Course you have." Deadpanned Seth, his face sour.

"-…and the power of the Queen's blood is not a matter to be discussed by you alone. What other changes did you notice? We must tackle this at once."

"It is my body you are talking about, is it not?" Kate spat, turning to the woman. This time she didn't cave under her glare. "So stop talking as though I am not there."

For a moment Kate thought she would not react. Then a slow smile graced Ximena's lips. "Do you remember what you did while Amaru possessed your body, girl?"

Kate's insides froze. She stared at the woman's face, at her self-satisfactory grin, and hated her.

"No." She felt ill.

"Then you are no part of this discussion, are you?"

Out of nowhere a _click click_ interrupted the conversation. All eyes shot to Richie. Somewhere along the conversation he had sat himself behind the big marble table, put his feet up, and was now busy polishing his gun. If it was a gesture meant to intimate, it sure did hit home.

"You don't understand." The woman said, her voice now alarmed and Kate felt her own apprehension rise.

This woman thought she was a true danger to them all. Was she? She felt alone in her body, and even if she remember nothing, she did remember the feeling of being trapped. This felt nothing like it. Still, what proof did she have? They had nothing but her word. And for all she knew, this woman had all the right to worry.

Ximena had her gaze still fixed on the older Gecko brother, who was reassembling all his weapon with practiced ease. "We need to stop her. If Amaru manages to regain power-…"

"She will not. And you know why?" Said Seth,. "Because _this_ is Kate. And all we need you to do is fuck off, or help us find a way to shield her scent."

"You want to conceal her?" She asked. There was a long pause, then she said. "Easy enough."

"Why do I get the feeling you won't just tell us." Seth drawled, swirling a red-brown liquid in a Cognac glass. Just when had he got himself a drink?

"Because I won't. She needs to be locked away, not hidden from us." Replied Ximena.

"You know what?" She saw Richie move before Ximena did. A second later she had a gun pointed at her heart, loaded and ready to splash her brains across the carpet. The gleaming metal of his gun was reflected in his eyes as he titled his head to return Ximena's glare. "We are done talking. Get out."

A shudder passed through the woman, and Kate's body answered with a series of shivers on its own.

"So what?" She hissed. "Are you going to consult _her_ now?" Ximena spat, not taking the hint and leaving.

She glowered at Santanico, who had lingered in a darker corner of the room, quietly watching. The brown haired culebra said nothing. Richie did not back off, either. A fiery, dark feeling began to spread from the centre of her chest towards the tip of her fingers, making them tingle. The longer Richie stood, weapon drawn, ready to shoot in her name, the stronger it got. Hotter, until she felt almost alive with it.

 _No. This was all wrong_. **Twisted**. Richie was not doing this for her. All he had ever wanted was her gone as soon as she had lived up her use. Back at the Titty Twister, back in that car.

" _She wasn't even supposed to be in here!"_ Back in this very room five months ago. _"She needs to go Seth, she can't stay here!"_

Fuck him.

 _Fuck him_.

The click of a second safety being unmatched snapped her right out of her flashback. Seth had gun and his even stare directed at Ximena. As always, he was sticking with his brother were their strength combined could do more damage. Kate wanted to laugh at the irony of it all – somehow they had found a way to work out their problems, but her family had been ripped apart forever.

"You want me gone?" Ximena laughed a humourless laugh. "Fine." She turned, and with one last icy glare, and left the room. Her two bodyguards followed.

Before silence could decent entirely upon them, Seth spoke up.

"Well, what a debate, guys. No one died! Must be a first, don't you say brother?" He joked, tucking his gun away. "I mean, yeah, I said ' _let's talk this out'_ , but I didn't really think this would work out."

"She will not let this go." Santanico said, catching Seth and Kate by surprise.

"I know." Richie replied.

The silence that followed weighted heavy on her. Once again, she was at the centre of all conflict. She'd wanted peace. Maybe, once upon a time, even for all them. _Always on a fool's quest, Kate_. She'd found nothing but violence on her getaway, not a day spent in peace of mind. Not a minute without worrying about being found. Always hunted. Hurting.

The truth it all – it was staring back at her now.

As her gaze travelled over Seth's silent scowl, Richie's placid visage, and Santanicos heated glare; she realised that they were all held fast by the shackles they had forged in the fire of their sins.

They could run, but never escape their own constraints. Hell had nine circles, after all; and Kate had only just entered the first. By the blood on her hands, the death of her father – by the curse beset upon her by God's will. And even if she would have preferred to not believe in God at all for all that he had put her through, she believed stronger in the gravity of her sins. She was in for a rough ride. The others, though, they were already waiting for her deep in the bowels of hell.

* * *

 **A/N: So, Kate's been through a lot - to me it's legit that she is a changed young woman now. Someday you just reach your breaking point and from then on you have a different perspective on stuff.**

 **The next chapter is going to be more action packed. Kate better buckle up, because she is really in for a ride! What do you say - you like how I describe the Geckos so far? What about Kate, do you feel with her?**

 **I am still writing on Chapter 6, so you better motivate me with lots of reviews :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Wounds and Bruises

**Sorry for the long wait! I have typewriter's cramp on BOTH of my hands, can you believe it?  
**

 **BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Wounds and Bruises**

* * *

 _In Love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve._

Seth had dragged her out of their office and into, to Kate's relieve, an empty bar area. Richie and Santanico had not followed them out into the more open space, and Kate noted with satisfaction that here the sun found its way into the interior, effectively hindering any culebra from following. So what if the sweet ex-couple had stayed behind to discuss _her fate or do whatever else_ , they were not welcome here either.

The clock above the bar-shelves read some five minutes past 4 pm, and the unbearable Texas heat was still lurking outside, ready to sweep into the indoors should anyone open a door or a window. With all escaped closed and locked – as Seth had so kindly informed her - there was little danger of overheating and Kate settled begrudgingly into the barstool one next to Seth's slumped self, feeling cold to the bone. She stared at the colourful wall of bottles, but her eyes saw nothing of it.

There was no smoothing things over. Things were a mess.

Her heartbeat was an unwelcome drum beating against her ribcage urging her to get moving, telling her in its own words that she was standing in quicksand. With every second that ticked by, and Seth did not speak, she felt more like a bundle of nerves. All the pent up emotion - the terror she had been subjected to, the fear she had felt when facing off against Sanatinco – it wanted out, _now_. Nature demanded she get up and do what was necessary to survive. Every cell in her body was waiting for that shot of adrenaline that would get her moving – right to that locked door and beating against it like a madwoman. Not acting on it; it was torture. Kate clutched both hands around each of her jeans-covered flanks, knuckles white, willing the feeling to pass.

Seth paid her no mind as he draped his jacket over the back of the stool, took out his keys and started playing with them. The jingle of the metal didn't help much with her nervousness. So, with all the energy she wanted to put into action instead, Kate watched Seth. As though he had come to a decision, he leaned forward to grasp a bottle form behind the counter. The Jim Beam filled up two glasses till they were brimming full with light brown liquid. Seth slid one drink towards her, and it came to rest right in front of her left elbow, some of the liquid dripping over the rim. Then, quite audibly, his keys wandered back into his jacket, and he sat still, nursing his drink in silence. _Waiting?_

"I don't drink." She stared at him, expectantly, willing him to… something – something she could not name, but anything but this was better. He could probably initiate a discussion about all the upsides of a membership of the KluKlux-Klan and she would roll with it. A whole thunderstorm of unsaid things were hanging over their heads and Kate was ready to avoid the downpour at any cost.

Seth laughed a humourless laugh. "Looks like you should start now, kid." He didn't even look up. She wanted to get up and pour his precious drink over his head. Instead, she opted to say nothing at all, and let her fingers ghost over the rim of the glass. Clearly, a decision made solely by the logical part of her brain, not her heart. There was just no more to it than a senseless quarrelling and she was in no state of mind to argue with him.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Seth's muscles bulge as he lifted his drink high to ex it in one go. A low groan escaped his lips, before he reached for the bottle again. Kate, now feeling very much irritated with his behaviour, glared at him.

Seth was right, it was _her_ who should be getting dead drunk. After all it was _her blood_ a whole horde of monsters were after. He had not been chased over half the state of Texas only to end back up in the place he had been running from.

As if he felt her laden glare - if not read her thoughts - Seth leaned back, putting much of his weight behind him, still nursing his drink, and returned her stare evenly. There was much in it Kate did not want to identify.

The longer he sat and regarded her with that certain irritated-worried expression that she had come to know too well in those many months on the road with him, the more conscious of her own hunched over posture she became. Somehow, when months before his attention had made her stronger – braver – more liable to take risks – it weakened her now.

"I'm not gonna ask why you ran." Seth drawled and drew a hand through his hair, his words clearly distressing him despite his claim. "But I gotta ask, what's up with that healing mojo?"

And with glass in hand an all, he gestured to her neck wound where not twenty hours ago a culebra had done his best to rip her apart. Again, her hand moved to cover it up – it was such a stupid reflex, really - only to come on contact with the dried blood-crust of an almost healed wound. Touching it, still hurt, but it was an echo of yesterday's bitter bite of agony. The real pain came from somewhere else.

 _What are you now, Kate?_ _What will you tell him?_ A dark voice asked.

"I'm listening." Seth pressed, and suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. Her lips kissed the glass. She swallowed the Jim Bean in several big gulps. Like acid it burned down her throat. It had her spluttering and coughing for a while, and it gave her just the perfect kind of excuse not to say anything at all. And not to _think_ – not to _settle_ into the finality of her fate.

"Got nothing to say?" His brows were pulled low, his eyes in shadows.

Kate's tongue was still numb after swallowing so much hard liquor, and once again she chose to remain silent. Unfortunately, her mute-treatment gave her all the more chance to take note of his expression. His features, a rough cast of bronze; the edges of his cheekbones and nose harsh. And even the warm light of the bar's backlight did nothing to smooth them into a less intimating sight. His expression was not unlike the one he had worn when Richie's name had come up by accident, back in Mexico. Needless to say, those discussion had never ended well. Usually with Seth blind drunk, and Kate sitting out near their room waiting for his worst episodes to pass. Regrettably, it didn't looked like she could sit this one out.

"We playing 20 questions here? 'Cause I gotta say Richie's always beat me at that game and I'd rather you cut that shit short and just told me. You know, we could've figured things out before you took off like a little kid running from the bogey man."

 _Running like a kid?_ _Cut shit short?_ Anger had her almost shouting her response.

"Don't _you_ tell me how to cope, _Seth_." A deep shuddering breath had her thoughts settle back on a more rational level, but the hot simmer of her anger had her spit out words that had been on the tip of her tongue for too long. "I've seen how you cope and you won't see me getting high in cheap motels." She took one look at Seth's empty cognac glass, and let him see it too.

She didn't want to be the one responsible for the hurt on his face. God, she didn't. What Kate really wanted was stand up and bolt towards the door. Somehow, if only she found her guts and strength, it would open for her. It had to. This was not what was supposed to happen. She should be gone for good. _This_ here - _now_ , it was all wrong.

So much lay between them.

A whole desert of fuck ups in this fucked up world. She didn't have it in her anymore to cross the space that separated them. Already, there was too much left unsaid. And ultimately she was to blame. This was why she'd run. This and… _Dear God, please give me strength to bear the punishment on my own. Don't let me drag him in for all selfish reasons._ This here, it wasn't going to be a reunion. She had to remember that. A trail of blood had followed her, was following her; and if God did not have mercy, it would still – _but, by all that she had, it would not be Seth's - or Richie's._ She clenched her firsts till it hurt.

This was a chain of thought she didn't want to follow. But how to put down in words what she could barely bear in her heart? Just as Kate though the silence could not rest more heavily on her, Seth opened his mouth and made it worse.

"So, how's Scott?" A familiar deep stab of agony followed like an echo of her brother's name. She embraced the pain, because she deserved it.

Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she felt faint. She could not speak.

She heard Seth take another sip from his drink. Then he opened his mouth to question her again, but Kate had had it. All the anguish, the terror, the fear – the disappointment - it exploded into words.

"What? More questions? _Where is Scott, Kate? Why didn't you go looking for him?"_ She made her voice a twisted mockery of his huskier one. "Or are you going to ask me what I remember doing when Amaru had my body? Or questions me if I suck blood now or kill for the fun of it, like your _brother_? Or maybe, just sit there and judge me, because you have it all figured out?"

Had she had any strength in her legs, she would have stood up just now. As it were, she remained sitting, body shaking; her grip on her legs turning painful. Her voice was strong, when in reality she was weaker now than ever. But she could not stop, even if she wanted to. Something had been unleashed that was too raw to be tamed.

"What's next?" She spit. "Will you tell me I should not have run and Richie and you would have fixed me, like you fucking fixed my problems before that? Maybe give me some money, send me on my way? What a fucking joke. You can't even help yourself."

She paused to take a deep breath; there was barely air enough for what she was to say next. "The day that I woke-..." Her stupid voice broke. Seth sat very still, and his silence made it easy come to her grips and go on. A dam had just broken; more words spilled from her mouth like a flood.

"The day that I woke - I remembered dying, but I don't remember ever waking up alive."

Suddenly, she was suffocating in this room that smelled of cold smoke and unwanted memories. Still, she pushed the words from her lips. "What would you think it would do to me? You thought I'd be the little nice Kate, waking up grateful for rescuing her? I just laid there, thinking stupidly how things would turn out be okay now – I remembered nothing of what happened, but then -…"

At that, Seth woke from his paralysis. "What, huh? It better be something good."

" _Just get her the fuck away from here, she can't stay_."

"Nothing." Kate lied, her heart a class cage, too fragile to bear a hit now. "Nothing."

With every word she said Seth seemed farther away, until he was no one but a stranger sitting at the bar next to her. "You weren't there, were you? I woke to an empty room. No Scott, no Seth, no Richie. Just me and _what was left_. In a world where I had _killed_ – and…"

Her voice broke again and she hated herself for betraying her weakness like that. She'd done these _things_ willingly, had justified the means by the end. That dagger in her hand - feeling warm blood well over her knuckles, tasting the acid of vomit on her tongue – she had picked it up willingly. The things she had done. For Scott. Family. For the sake of her love.

 _Love_.

Who killed in the name of love? Monsters did. _She did_.

The thought almost took her breath away, even though it had come over her many many times. Truth was, Amaru's possession was nothing but her rightful punishment for the things she had done.

"And that's when I decided I was better off on my own anyway." Kate closed her mouth, feeling empty.

Seth couldn't save her. No one could.

Seth stared at his empty glass as if it offered some relief he could not find anywhere else. Behind him, a shadow moved. Kate's gaze fell on the dark silhouette near the backdoor and suddenly she saw it for what it really was.

She burned in shame. He had heard it all.

Kate fisted her empty glass, not taking her eyes off him. How she wished it would refill with hard liquor, so she could savour the burn of alcohol down her throat rather than the one in her eyes.

How had the presence of a predator gone so completely unaware, when even now she felt her every cell respond to his nearness? Richie's eyes did not waver from her gaze, he did not blink, he did not move. His tall frame stood like a statue, so completely devoid of movement that it unsettled her, made her all the more aware of his in-humaneness. No man stood this still. Her body reacted instinctively. Her muscles coiled, and she was ready to dart from her stool and towards the doors; where light beckoned, where a promise of safety waited.

 _All lies._

Just then, a woman entered the establishment through another set of doors Kate had not noticed before. Behind her, another followed. Their sudden appearance was more than Kate could take. She wanted to shout at them to just fucking go away, because she was at the point of breaking down and she would rather have not any more witnesses.

Her emotions choked her. Stuck in a state of hopelessness, Kate watched the brown haired woman sashay towards Seth and lean into his frame. The other, blonde woman, poured herself a healthy dose of Jim Beam and Cola, before she settled down on a barstool, watching them.

"Seth," The brunette cooed. Her wild brown hair fell over the Gecko brother's shoulder as she leaned forward to muzzle his neck. "Didn't know you were here today… you are away too often."

"Not now." Seth said, his tone flat.

He had all but moved an inch since the woman had embraced him in a sickening display of familiarity. The woman's thin arms looked grotesque next to Seth's well-tanned muscle. She didn't want her here. Admits the surge of emotions Kate's eyes settled on a familiar glint of gold. The woman moved again and Kate saw the cross as it hung between her modest cleavage. Her outfit was definitive at odds with her behaviour, Kate thought, but couldn't explain why it mattered.

"Look -…uhm-" Seth said, obviously struggling for her name. "I'm busy, go find your little plaything."

Instead of feeling insulted, the woman giggled softly. She did not back off either, even as Seth brushed her aside.

"Oh, you know you can call be Kate, just like your brother does, I like it."

Just as Kate's mind caught up to her name being the same as hers, Richie's voice rung out.

"Leave." It was a cold, harsh command that held so much power that Kate had to force herself to remain seated and not follow it through, instead of the woman. The woman's head snapped round.

"Richie." She breathed, and it was a desperate sound that held all the promise and memories of nightly pleasures. To Kate, his whispered name felt like a brutal punch to her stomach. That's how she missed the woman walking up to Richie and playing with the buttons of his shirt, too. Once she had blinked the haze away, Richie had her doppelganger's wandering hand already subjected to a bruising grip.

"Oh, not so harsh." She wined, and twisted under the force of his grip. "You know I don't like it too rough." She smiled.

Richie said nothing, and Kate found his silence definitively out of character. Then, she noticed that he had his gaze directed at her, ignoring the woman's little pleas completely. The intensity of his stare was unnatural, and once again Kate found that she could barely bear it. Not if she was not sure if he regarded her with a predators gaze or something else, something as equally as dangerous…

"Richie, don't be so cold. Look, I even wore that cross of yours." With her other free hand she held up the golden piece of jewellery for him to see, but Richie eyes did not waver. The woman voice was a low purr when she added. "We can do your little role-play again, if you like. You always get so excited."

Suddenly, like the last pieces of an incomplete puzzle; _the cross, the weird nickname, and the odd familiarity of the brunettes face_ got to her. Kate's breath hitched. Shock was a young, infantile cousin of the emotion that overcame her this moment. And Richie closed his eyes, his expression nothing but tortured.

He released the woman, but he would not look at her.

"Leave, Ann." She opened her mouth to object, and Kate saw it clearly, the confusion in her eyes, because she could not stop gaping at her doppelganger, who had just offered Richie dirty hot sex. What it meant beyond that was still out of her mind's focus. "Leave. Now."

"Fine." She shot Seth a heated glace, as if he was somehow to blame for Richie's mood, and hightailed out of the room.

Ann banged the door behind her with such force that the glass bottles made a disconcerting _clirring_ sound. The other woman stood as well, took her drink and exited the bar-area wordlessly. What she left behind was silence, the unbearable kind.

* * *

 **Time for more shocking news – I haven't seen the latest three episodes . I have no idea what is going on guys; it's not pleasant. Also, before I decided to split this chapter up I couldn't decide what Richie's next moves would be. He's hard to nail down. He is always ready to use things to his advantage, any way, any moment. GAWD. So hot. lol  
**

 **I also apologize for so little Richie time. Damn plot for getting in the way of good ol' SMUT lol. Seriously, I am trying to write a good story here, so bear with me!**

 **Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! Keep it up and I will keep writing, even if its painful (and not wise).**

 **What are your thoughts? You like Ann? ;-P**


	7. Chapter 7: To Draw the Battle Lines

**So, so sorry, I uploaded the wrong version! :-/ Shame on me! Plz read again, or start now:**

 **RE-UPLOAD NOTE:** The dialogue between Richie and Seth is way different, revealing so much more of Richie's intention. Also, longer chapter!

 **BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: To Draw the Battle Lines**

* * *

 _You thought you were there to guide me -  
But you were only in my way._

 _(last time)_

 _"Leave, Ann." The woman on Richie's arm opened her mouth to object, and Kate saw it clearly, the confusion in her eyes, because she could not stop gaping at her doppelganger, who had just offered Richie dirty hot sex. What it meant beyond that was still out of her mind's focus. "Leave. Now."_

 _"Fine." It didn't sound fine._

 _Ann banged the door behind her with such force that the glass bottles made a disconcerting clirring sound. The other woman stood as well, took her drink and exited the bar-area wordlessly. What she left behind was silence, the unbearable kind._

 _(now)_

"Now I remember her name." Seth broke the silence, and dark humour was coating his words like poison. "Ann, right? Or was it Kate? I always mix them up." The joke hit the metaphorical shore, and petered out miserably.

Kate, on the other hand, swam in a sea of disbelief she did not want to leave anytime soon. Richie's eyes were clear and blue, like the sea, and somehow she could not look away. Something, anything would spill from his lips any moment now, she thought, anything at all to make sense of this. Why it hurt to breath, why it felt like she came down from a high, why her heart beat like a war-drum, why her head spun – he would give her the answers, if only he would open his mouth. Yet, his serene, perfect face offered her nothing and Kate was left _wanting, grasping, falling…_

Seth cleared his throat.

"As much as I'd like to be part of this discussion; we have company."

Just like that, Kate's attention switched to dark shadows moving in the parking lot.

Before she could react, two fully clothed culebra unlocked the door and entered in silence. With them they carried a gust full of dry sand, trepidation and a swift breeze full of tension. Kate's eyes were set on their approaching forms, her insides tingling in warning, but she still felt so upset from before that she barely could discern the two feelings.

Seth motioned for them to close the door somewhat irately, there were no niceties lost on them to Kate's satisfaction, who could not see these creatures as anything but enemies after all she'd been through. To think that the brothers commanded them as master was ludacris.

The two tall men, clad from head to toe in black leather, stopped in front of Seth, their eyes set solely on him. Next to him, Kate's body was now overtaken by shivers. _Culebra_ , her body warned her unnecessarily, and her almost healed wound echoed it with phantom pain.

"We have some intel." One announced right away, and Richie stepped into the light, careful to evade the flecks of golden sunlight on the tiled floor. Briefly, Kate toyed with the notion of pushing him right into the sun's glare, but that meant touching him. She wouldn't do that in a million years.

"Spill it." Richie snapped, his focus on the two men. "What did you find out?" Part of Kate was irritated that he found his voice now, but didn't find a single syllable in him just a second ago.

Then, though, her focus drifted involuntarily. Right now the biggest threat wasn't him, as stupid as that sounded. Richie was and would always be the man that posed the most danger to her, but right now, trapped in a room full of predators, and currently on the list of tastiest new recipes, it was stupid to ignore the two newcomers. The taller man's head had wandered sideways until Kate had his two black goggles directed at her. She stared back at her own face, reflected in the dark sunglasses he wore. Her muscles tingled, no layer of skin could hide the truth of his nature from her. As for his intent – the longer his faceless mask stared at her, the surer of it she grew of it… Question was, could contrary to his nature, hers be hidden from him? Kate's muscles burned with the need to run as the certainty of her dire fate, should he catch her alone, settled in.

"Here, boss?"

Kate felt like a big freaking elephant in the room, but caught in the other's gaze, she could not object.

The cold, dark feelings descending on her never failed to settle. No matter how many times she had been faced with the frailty of her own life, she was never prepared for this feeling. It always descended on her like a tidal wave, taking thoughts of better days and foolish dreams with it.

It was her curse.

Forever on the run. Forever caught in the hunt.

Yet, she had not been born an idiot. Already, her brain worked hard, trying to gauge the distance between her and the door and the time it would take her to reach it – how far would she come before he got to her? Not far enough. A shaky breath left her mouth. She couldn't help the instinctive reaction. A growl answered her, but the culebra in front of her hadn't moved a muscle. Kate knew, because her eyes were glued to him, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't look away now.

"Boss?" The other asked, his voice laced with uncertainty. Kate, caught in the reflection of her own terrified, wide eyed gaze didn't flinch; even as Richie moved forward.

"In the office." Richie bit out, his voice ice cold. The men followed his command without hesitation, Kate released from the spell flinched backwards, and saw them vanish behind Richie into the shadows. She then clutched the brass railing of the bar behind her; feeling light-headed.

"You stay here." She merely saw Seth's gesture out of the corner of the eye, but the words where clear enough. She opened her mouth to object, but Seth just slid out of his seat, fought his way into his jacket and sauntered towards a door right past the toilet sign to presumably where the other two men had disappeared to.

"Seth." His brother's voice held a slight warning. Kate felt herself reminded of the hiss of a snake, subtly warning other animals of the danger. "Didn't you forget something?"

Seth stopped short. He lifted his hand, paused for a moment, as if to ask the teacher a question or to ask for a bit of time to think on his answer. Then he mumbled, "Right," and marched back towards them. With one hand in his jacket, he threw her an apologetic look, then he pulled out a metal object.

"No!" Kate shouted, but it was too late; Seth had already taken hold of her hand, with his other he unlatched the handcuffs. The next instant it was around her left arm, the other end of it chained to the bar's railing.

"Be a nice girl and wait here, will you?" He said, and had the audacity to pat her on the shackled hand.

As a last resort, Kate's hateful stare fixed on Richie. "Don't you just leave me here, I have a right to know!" Whatever weird connection they had shared, he couldn't just dismiss it.

His face was a mask of marble – cold, hard, and all smooth lines. "You kind of forfeited your right to be part of anything the day you ran away, Kate."

Her mouth gaped open, but nothing came out.

Then he turned, effective dismissing her, and motioned for his brother to follow him. Kate's eyes burned as the dimly lit corner swallowed their forms as they walked away. Kate heard the door click shut. After that she was left alone listening the soft music playing in the background.

Angrily, she tugged on the chain until it left red bruises on her wrist. Seth had chained her to the furniture like a damn criminal. She stared at the handcuffs, willing laser-beams to shoot out of her eyes. Not happening. Damn this thing; it sure wasn't coming off.

She sat back, let her useless hand dangle. Above the soft music, _Killing me Softly_ was playing on the radio, Kate heard their muffled voices. An idea struck her.

She pulled the handcuff along the railing until she was almost opposite the door they had disappeared behind. The conversation was clearly audible now, and she could discern individual voices. Kate leaned forwards just as Richie hissed:

"So now we are back to comparing her to a rabid dog?" Kate's eyebrows knit together. _Had she just misheard?_

"I am only suggesting what I think is best." Seth drawled. "We leave her behind – go to that place -what's it called again? Siesta padre? Sasta-…"

"Siete paredes, the Temple of the Seven Walls." Richie answered, his voice full of irritation. "We've already been through that."

"Anyway," Seth ground out, "before Ximena's lackey get hold of the amulet. Your minions-"

"Our minions." Richie pointed out.

Seth moved right on. "There's gotta be a reason why she wants it. Maybe there is a way to reverse this bloody mess."

"The ancient well blessed Kate with a second life." Richie replied evenly, no emotions mudding up his practical logic. Instantly, Kate's temper flared. It was just so easy for him, wasn't it? Hatred shimmered back into her thoughts, but she pushed it aside to be dealt with later.

"We could do so much more than focus on a way to turn her back. You heard Santanico, and I think-…"

Seth cut him off, his words a harsh whip. "I know what you think Richie, trust me. Sometimes I wish I didn't."

Richie, though, wouldn't have any of that stop him.

"Just because you can't see things the way I see them, Seth. It does not mean that I have to stop thinking the moment I see the most convenient way out. There is more to it than what you see right now, there always is. Why would she give this information up? Huh? Ever thought of that?"

Seth did not answer.

"Cause, you always forget one thing, brother - We run this business, and there is a shitload of people waiting for us to make that one fucking mistake. And I will not make that mistake. Leaving her here - it might just be that fucking mistake." Kate heard movement. " _Let's face it brother,_ this is a fucking snake pit. And I am going to be the fucking king cobra, you get me? Us leaving this place right now, when a dozen of this motherfuckers wait for us to mess up, is a stupid idea."

Seth's laugher were loud, loud enough that they drowned out _Ring of Fire_ , blaring from hidden speakers behind the bar, near where Kate sat, mouth wide open.

"There is more to it? _More_? I can't believe it. You want to use her." Seth voice was full of pure disbelief, and Kate felt her own heart thump against her ribcage in a dance of agony. _What was Richie suggesting?_ "Somehow you think she can _help_ you be that _king cobra,_ and you don't want to give this up. Cut the shit with keeping her save - It's not about that at all, isn't it?"

Kate clutched the railing tighter. Their words fell over her like rain – soaking her in disbelief, freezing her to the bone, drowning her in death-cold realisation.

"Don't think you can ever get into my head." It was a quite warning. "Business is expanding- It doesn't need to be an open fight. Let me look into it, figure this out."

"I can't fucking believe this." Seth said again, and Kate heard someone move, as if he'd started pacing up and down the room. "This is Kate, Rich. _Kate_. _We killed her family_. She was …fuck -…we practically killed her, too. We gotta fix this shit, _right now_."

"I know it's Kate." Richie's voice was ice. "That's why I won't follow your stupid plan."

"You are the only danger I see." Seth said, his tone flat. "Your obsession with her was unhealthy before, Rich, but this is just sick."

"Just because I admitted -…," Richie cut himself off, and Kate shivered as she imagined what had been on his tongue just now. Admitting that he wanted her blood? Craved it? would kill for it?

Richie spoke up again. " _Kate_ -…" his voice turned darker, his craving for a taste so easily recognizable now in his words that Kate's flesh crawled as if it wanted to coil on itself and escape him. "She is like a freaking hot-dog stand on a lousy fair, with a big fat sign pointing right towards her. The scars on her neck reveal as much."

Scars.

Kate's heart stopped, before it jolted into a painfully fast rhythm. Mindless, her free hand sprung to cover her neck where her shirt should have covered most of the portion of what she knew to be a history of pain – and failure to escape it. She felt that the light grey cotton protected her scarred flesh from any prying eyes, but even that could not reassure her. Richie, he had broken through her defences yet again. Just like that. Nausea crawled up her tongue. She felt violated. _What else had he seen when he had looked at her?_

She felt exposed, violated, as if he had read her diary and had discovered the description of every hardship she'd faced alone and _failed to cope with_. He had no right to see. Nobody did. Nobody but herself had been there to talk her out of killing herself, to come up with yet another plan to escape her attackers. It had only been herself keeping her alive. And she'd been alright. On the run, yes, never in one place for too long – with every step fear following her. But…

Here, in this room where all danger seemed far away, she should have felt better. She didn't. She felt trapped her in a room of one-way mirrors and was unable escape the surveillance in full consciousness of what she stood to lose. Her face - her identity of who she had become. A loner. A fighter. A survivor.

One who bearded her curse on her own two shoulders and kept on walking, running, hiding…

It was an achievement. Not a failure.

Richie didn't see that. He only saw her weakness. And what else would he see? Unconsciously, she had pulled her hand, and looked down bewildered when her wrist begun to hurt, the handcuff was biting into her flesh like a rabid dog. No. She didn't just feel trapped. _She was trapped._

Richie's words cut into her panic like a sharp knife.

"We. can' t. leave. her. here. Comprende? If you do not, you fail to see what lies right in front of you - What if it all happened for a reason? You heard Santanico, it's powerful – a mix of sacrificial blood and a Goddess' essence. I got this feeling, it can do something for us. Just imagine it, brother, El rey right here, with your little umbrellas in your drink."

"That's it? That simple? Use her blood, for what?" Another humourless laugh. "You are not staying behind."

"You don't trust me." Richard seethed, and Kate could easily image the look he was giving his brother now.

"Damn well I don't." Seth growled, rightfully so. Her own trepidation reared its ugly head again, and she hated how natural her distrust felt. New Kate furiously nodded her head, wholeheartedly agreeing. Seth was smart not to trust him. One could not trust Richie with anything, except with his own interest.

"Now, park the car out front, Hornandez. Richie – car. We can't take the plane, now can we? A thirteen hour drive? We will be back before she misses us. Just lock her up in the basement, no one will bother her. If it's a trap we will find out together, won't we? Because you are not staying, Richie, and neither is that freaking cursed blood of hers, we clear?"

"Got the address sent to your phone, boss." One of the culebra said. Kate has almost forgot they were in the room with them.

"We are not done." The other Gecko warned, just as the door opened and an angry looking Richie stepped out first. Hastily, Kate turned her back towards them. Right now, she couldn't hide her feelings from them. They were too raw, too bitter, too fresh. Her cheeks felt flushed – hot – her heart beat too fast, but there was nothing she could do about that. Richard Gecko, thank god, did not look through her defences this time.

"You okay?" Richie leaned forward, Kate leaned back. She chose not reply to his question, not trusting his kind behaviour and her own voice one bit. "You look tired, Kate. You want to lie down?"

 _So you can lock me up? Or kill me for your cause - again? -_ She wanted to ask, but nodded instead. There was no need to give anything away, even if his sugar sweet inquiry was poison to her. She let the feeling sink in and then went the opposite way of where she wanted to go. "I feel a bit weird, maybe it is all the alcohol."

 _You have to play this cool,_ Seth's voice told her. _Real cool_.

"Maybe I should lie down for a bit." She was careful not to look him in the face.

Out of the corner of her eye Kate saw Richie frown and turn to glare at his brother. Even though his anger was not directed at her, Kate ducked her head lower between her shoulders. His promise to use her, his willingness to disregard his brothers concerns in favour of his own gains – what more was he capable of?

She was not save here.

Oh, she'd thought to have reawakened in a cruel world, but only now did she realise exactly what it meant. God, why did it hurt so much? Whom could she still trust not to betray her?

 _Seth_? She stared at his back, willing him to turn and get his brother away from her – willing him to warn her of his brother's plans – to say and do anything that showed her that he was on her side, truly. To prove to her that he could change – that he could somehow make up for the things he had done. Be the better person of them two.

Seth didn't turn, but kept on drinking.

The familiar feeling of desperation flooded her, until she was nothing but a shell that housed it. This is what it felt to be alone. Truly alone.

This was her curse. Her curse to bear.

She had to get out of here.

Get that amulet for herself, hide, and build a live elsewhere. Forget all that pain, all those ideas of belonging, because they were fake. _Fake_ , like that painful throb in her heart that somehow intensified when she stared at Richie's chest.

 _God, why did it hurt so bad? Would it ever stop?_

"Kate?"

A cork plopped. Glasses clinked.

"Great job." Richie called to his brother, who was nursing another drink. "Let's get the underage girl drunk, shall we? Why not offer her drugs, too, while we are at it?"

"In the drawer." Seth called and he snatched himself another bottle from behind the bar. "But almost out of the good stuff. You two will have to share. And do make sure you use a condom when you hit it up with _that underage girl_ , brother. But we are almost out of those too, ain't we?" He eyed his brother sideways, raising his drink up in a mock gesture of good will. "Maybe ask Ann for a spare."

"I'll fucking-..." Richie cursed, but stopped himself. "Kate." Kate didn't feel being part of their subliminal bickering. "Kate?"

She felt like crying until tears ran out and dry hiccups rocked her body. Until her body was too weak to stand, to remember, to feel. Too weak to be another one's pawn.

" _There's always a price to pay to get what you want. Gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet. It's the cost of being the boss."_

God help her, she was not going to crack.

 _Never again_ , she swore, and branded this vow into her soul. Whatever it took. She would not be subjected to another one's schemes and machinations. Richie's words rang in her head like an echo, one she would not forget.

Someone said her name in a gentle, imploring tone. Out of reflex she reacted.

"Yes?" She mumbled, and stared into Richie's handsome face. Beauty was a terrible deceiver, she decided, she would never fall for someone like that again.

"Come on." He unlocked the cuffs and pulled her out of the seat. "Don't faint on me."

Like a good little girl, she let herself be led from the room, playing the ignorant fool. _Oh, those Geckos_ , she thought almost deliriously, _they were in for a surprise_ , because if they could come up with a devious plan to leave her behind and use her, well, so could she.

* * *

 **A/N: So, a short chapter is better than no chapter at all, right? Okay, I chickened out, convinced myself I was a horrible writer and blabla…What can I say? It worked. But maybe I am done wallowing in self-doubt? We will see**

 **Anyway, thank you sooo much for your kind reviews! I really means so much too me. Actually, in fear that I would disappoint you people all I stopped writing. How twisted is that?**

 **Well, I never said I am a logical person. :-P**

 **Next time - Richie and Kate finally get real close :-D**

 **RE-UPLOAD NOTE: The Dialogue between Richie and Seth is way different, revealing so much more of Richie's intention.**


	8. Chapter 8: Cold Fever

**IMPORTANT: If you read the last chapter on the same day I posted it for the first time READ IT AGAIN (more precisely the dialogue between Seth and Richie), because otherwise you will miss a few important things! I did change the chapter a day later, because I noticed I uploaded the wrong version.  
**

 **A/N:** **White Moon Howler:** Thank you so so much for your kind words. They really encouraged me to keep on working on this story. Also, **The Crystal Rose** , thank you for your excitement, it really boots my motivation to know that there is someone out there waiting for the story to continue. And dear **peachx89,** **Guests** and **Marie** , thank you too!

This is one of my most favourite chapters so far, so I do hope you will enjoy reading it.

 **BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Cold fever**

* * *

 _Turn wounds into wisdom._

The sun still lingered on the horizon when Richie led her along a wide corridor towards, what she suspected, was going to be her prison. Most of the sun's rays were blocked by the heavy blinds and only a thin rectangular pattern of sunspots crisscrossed the dark carpet where the blinds did not cover the window wholly. With every step towards the basement Kate drew closer to an unwanted realisation. Namely that he really wanted to lock her away in a cellar like an especially precious bottle of blood and maybe come and sample her every now and then. Kate Fuller, the one-thousand-year old vintage wine with a bouquet no culebra could resist. Kate fuller, again object, a vessle, to be used by whomever it suited best?

No.

The pain that followed the realisation was shocking in its intensity. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Like everything else, her life was going full circle. Back to zero. Back to the brink of losing her life to another one's agenda. Back to Richie, arrogant, selfish, crule Richie, getting ready to use her for his own gain without any consideration of where that would leave her. Yes, back to Richard Gecko - murder on his name and life is just a game of loose or gain. No trace of Richie - a touch in the dark and a brush of soft lips. Doubtful, if that persona had even excisted in the first place.

Last time his _plan_ had got her killed. _Killed_ , resurrected and taken hostage inside her own body. And already, without any feeling of wrongness, he was busy making new plans! It was the same old fucking story - the same old fucking lies - the same old fucking ending. Oh, the regret was ever on her side, never on his. Because she realised that _for there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first._ That would make her a fool - such a fool for falling for him twice. _But no more a fool than Seth._ He thought to leave her behind to face off an army of culebra minions or better yet, sit back and watch as his brother make good use of her? Question was, what hurt more? Seth not caring or Richie making a fool of her again? Tough choice. Or maybe not a choice at all.

And every word she had overheard and every step that involuntarily took them towards her prison-to-be, brought her closer to a conflict that could not be settled with words. That it would really come to that –… that she would be forced to fight for her live again, as if God had rid her of the right to call it her own and was now continuously trying to wring it from her bony, weak fingers and put into another one's hand – ... it was almost too much to bear. As if they had not taken already everything from her. Anger was not quite as cold as the emotion she felt now.

"Where are we going, Richie?" Kate asked, not able to play it as cool as she had originally planned.

"To your room." He answered evely, not missing a step when he glanced over his shoulder, not giving her much thought.

That stopped Kate, the length of a big window it's heavy blinds drawn separating them. Richie, as if he sensed it, halted too. The longer she stared at his back, taking in his silence, the bigger the distance between them grew."I can get there by myself, I remember where it is."

"Kate," he said, but she didn't like him using her name. She didn't like what it did to her _ears_ , how it stuck like song; what it did to _skin_ , how it crawled; what it did to her _brain_ , how everything went out of focus but him. In short, how he used it against her, like weapon in his game of deception. "Don't want you to get lost."

Didn't he realise? He'd already cast her aside, _there was nothing but loss now_.

He turned. The side-lighting cast his features into a hard light. Light and shadows, no in-between. No gray areas, no indecision, no self-doubt. Some uncountable days ago she'd admired that quality about him. How foolish she'd been, so blind, so naive. Yet, even in the hard light of the days in a new lifetime, her cursed afterlife, it was impossible not to notice how even his features, how intense his gaze; and how enticing his presence. Impossible, but - ...She had to see him for what he really was.

A liar. A traitor.

" _You know, change isn't free, Kate. There's always a price to pay to get what you want. Gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet. It's the cost of being the boss."_

A monster.

She had to focus less on how he looked, and more on what he did. _What he had done_ , she told herself and in her mind's eye she saw her doppelganger's arms circle around his broad shoulders, saw the woman lean in and savour his warmth. It was easy to picture him leaned over her shoulder blood dripping from his long, sharp fangs. _What he would do_ \- …He did not deserve one ounce of her honesty, but she gave some of it anyway.

"I'm confused." She let some of her real exhaustion bleed into her words, and a weakness followed the truth of her words which almost undid her. She was at the brink of a deep drop, lingering on fragile ground. Standing before him felt like falling, falling... falling and never seeing the light again. A weak breath later, she was back in focus. Knowing full well that if she fell now, there was no getting up again. And that would be end of her, and every claim she lay on her life. Her voice was just shy of breath when she spoke again.

"You won't keep things from me, right? Seth and you?" One last chance offered, but Richie gave it away without a thought.

"No, Kate." His lips spread in that stupid lopsided smile, making a mockery of her concern. He stepped towards her, as if he had any right to comfort her. Kate, however, did not shy back this time. "You don't have to run anymore, no one's getting you here, I promise."

She wanted to call him out on his lie, demand why it was so easy for him to just cast her aside and use her like a tool. Again. She wanted to scream, to thump her fists against his broad chest or lean forward and seek his warmth as Ann had done. Involuntarily, she stepped towards him. They bodies met in the corridor, framed by the sun's rays, and embraced by shadows.

He was so near now that she felt her own hot breath bounce back from his torso onto her hot skin. So close to her, Richie came alive to her senses, and Kate had to swallow a grasp. He was so warm, his skin radiating a hot pulse. She'd expected him to be a solid wall of ice, dead flesh, offering little temptation. How wrong she had been.

She did not turn her head or block his hand when it came up to caress her hair. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat. One shuddering breath later, her nostrils were flooded with his scent; it was warm, enticing, and layered with a rich man's cologne. He leaned forwards and their bodies were almost touching now. Kate's breathing grew heavier.

"I wondered," She said, her voice faint, "if we would ever meet again."

He leaned in closer, his breath a gentle flutter on her skin.

Her cheeks flushed with blood, and his nearness became something else. Wanted, yet feared. Needed, yet forbidden. And she thought stupidly _How can such a selfish person kiss so tenderly?_ She needed to find out. _Need_. _Oh, Katey-cakes._ It was such a flexible concept. The _need_ to hear him speak, the _need_ to see her own desire reflected in his eyes, the _need_ to be near, no, even closer. Touching. _God_ , she really wanted to kiss him.

With him it was always her needing - craving something. Understanding, love, loyalty. She could name every single one of her desires desperate, foolish, sinful. _In the past_ , she told herself. _Not now. Now_ , their eyes locked, but it was another kind of need she felt, another kind of desire she saw reflected in his iris.

He wanted her here. And he was almost where she wanted him, too.

Closer. Touching now.

"We looked for you." Richie whispered. It was almost a plea, and a hundred percent a lie. And again he would lie, lie, _and lie he would again_. And she would fall for it, wouldn't she, someday, she would fall for it again. He really was the devil.

 _God,_ she prayed for his guidance, but only remembered a hollow verse: _Judge not and you will not be judged_. _Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not deceive each other._ Somehow they had lost their power, did not reveberate with ther faith, the one she had lost, but was seeking to rediscover. Maybe because she was soon to be guilty of all of these vices. And Richie was never going to kiss her ever again.

 _Dear God, please forgive me, for I will sin_. _One last time, I promise._ One last time in the role of a sinner. One last time, craving his touch. Then, Kate closed her eyes, letting Richie's face disappear into darkness.

"I'm sorry." She did not lie – not this time.

A shiver raced down her spine when his palm met her cheek. One second breath was all she allowed herself in his embrace, then her eyes snapped open, and his two orbs widened as if he knew before she had even acted what she would do. She didn't give him the chance to stop her, though. Not ever again.

A wail of pain and fury erupted from her lips when she tore at her healed wound. White hot pain immediately followed, but Kate did not stop there. This was not about pain, no, this was about agony.

" _You know, change isn't free, Kate. There's always a price to pay to get what you want."_

Deeper, she ripped into her own tender flesh with her other hand until both her hands were slick and bloody, her nails a glossy scarlet. Using Richie's shock and disbelief to her advantage; she reached for him; and with those bloody, dripping fingers caressed those sinful lips of his; which parted in shock. Soon, they were coated in a blood red sheen. And still, he was frozen, but his eyes, they changed instantly. And just like that, her heart hammering like a war-drum, she had revealed his true nature, turning his blue eyes into a feral shade, giving face to that horrible monster inside him.

For one second she stared at the predator, then she twisted around, and pushed her feet to propel her forwards. Ten impossible, breathless meters lay between her and safety. With one swift yank she had the blinds ripped to the floor behind her, and warm sunlight lit up in her wake, securing her path. Richie hissed in pain when he was caught in the burning sun, but she would not look back.

 _The need to survive was stronger than her need of him_. She wouldn't look back, even it hurt like fire licking over her very soul. This wasn't about him; it was all about _her_. _Survival_. And as it was, danger was lurking behind her, and, if she didn't play this well, in front of her too.

" _ **Seth!**_ " She cried, as loudly as she could, and all the adrenaline and pain made her voice shake convincingly. "Seth, help me! Richie he-"

Seth met her halfway through the door that led to the bar area. There, she fell into his arms, sobbing without tears; but it did not matter, he had seen her bloody hands and her bleeding wound and his brother's bloody lips and shirt. It was enough.

With her body she felt his anger and she fed it like fire with crisps hay strands. "He wanted to get me alone…" She panted, her voice strained. "Seth, he wants my blood. You have to stop him." Seth moved under her embrace, his powerful muscles taunt with tension and fury.

"Seth." Richie hissed, his voice strained with pain. "Do not-…" A shot rang out. "…-shoot me." He growled.

"Go! Wait outside." Seth snapped, and shoved Kate towards the bar area.

"Seth." Richie warned, a low rumble accompanying his every words now. "Don't do this."

Kate lost no time sticking around and shoved the door shut behind her. Just as her soles hit the dark wooden planks in the bar area, another shot rang out. It was almost disconcerting how well her plan had worked. Almost too easy how she had played the one's intending to play her. Almost.

 _It was either hunt, or be hunted, Katey-cakes, have you finally learned your lesson? What does that make of you then? Another predator? Another killer?_

 _No. It wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't kill him._

She didn't let herself pause and reconsider, and pushed against the door. Thankfully, it opened this time - the culebra had not locked it behind them in their haste to close the door. Outside, the air was hot, but Kate felt ice cold. She pulled out the keys she'd stolen right out of Seth's jacket when she had embraced him just now, and shoved his phone in her pants' pockets. It wouldn't take long for him to realise what he was missing. God knew, she had no desire to face the wrath of both Geckos.

Oh, she didn't dare think what Richie would do to her should he get hold of her now. Briefly, an image of his reptilian alter ego flashed before her eyes, and she felt her knees grow weak. Yet, as quickly as the fear had gotten hold of her, it left her. If all went well, she didn't have to meet them ever again.

She clenched her fingers around Seth's keys and let her eyes scan the parking lot for his car. The low sun plunging everything in a red haze. Luck was on her side, thankfully, because true to Seth's command a car was parked outside the establishment, not far from the exit where she stood. It was a sleek black sports car with tinted windows and a mean looking spoiler. It beeped when she pressed the key, and anxious not to lose any more time, Kate slid in. It took an agonising, long minute to figure out how to start the car – turned out just by pressing a button - then it came to live with a satisfying purr.

Before any thoughts of indecision could weaken her resolve, she stepped down on the gas pedal. The powerful engine roared, and the tires found grip in the dry sand. As final last goodbye to weakness, she looked back at the building, then the bar and everything else inside became nothing more than a picture in her rear-view window, growing smaller with every second passing. Another minute later, it was just a memory replaced by the view of an empty road ahead of her.

Kate shifted the gear, feeling power ooze back into her muscles, even if weakness was moistening her eyes at the same time. Desperate for any form of distraction, she turned on the radio. David Guetta blared from the speakers, the heavy bass of the expensive subwoofer vibrating in her bones. She turned it up until it hurt.

Tears ran down her cheek as she let techno music race past blurry markings on the street. Three songs later, she wiped her face dry, done with this stupid show of self-pity. It had never helped with anything.

She opened the sideboard, found a gun, tucked it into her sweater. After another bit of shuffling she discovered a half empty package of TicTacs. She ate them all. Then, nervous fingers constantly travelling over the console, Kate changed the channel, Sunday's live-feed from the local church was on. She listened for a bit - stared at the road, trying to settle for an emotion in an ocean of them. Couldn't do it. Instead, she focused on reason: her future and what her next steps were going to be in order to secure it. This time, for real. This time, for certain. Not matter the cost. Because this time she saw a light at the end of this dark tunnel. The talisman.

In the long hours alone in the car she had plenty of time to think about her situation. She'd stolen their car, but Seth sure wouldn't call the cops. She had a gun, a bit of cash, certainly more was hidden somewhere in the car for a quick getaway. She'd need to stop to search the car, favourably in an area where she could do so without some prying eyes watching her. The coordinates of the temple were displayed on the phone in front of her, it was still a 11 hour drive, she'd have to stop at some point, get water and food.

" _There's always a price to pay to get what you want."_ – a voice whispered in her head, but she shook it off, like a fly.

Richie's words, however, brought back another memory, a much more recent one. Right before they had had the meeting in the office, and Santanico had confronted Kate about the extent of curse; Seth had taken her aside, his expression serious. Back then, that look had made her nervous – it had looked as if whatever was on his mind was painful to bear, much less share. Damned bottle in hand, self-righteous smile faltering on his lips, he had regarded her silently. It must have been an eternity of a whole minute.

Finally, he said, "he missed you, you know." There was no question whom he meant. "Guess even monsters got something to lose."

Back then, it had haunted her, but now she only hoped that – yes - he had. She hoped it had ripped it from him. She hoped she had every one of his visions of greatness with her. Madly, she wished, with all of her sinner's heart, that it would hurt him as much as her to discover that all his expectation had been a fantasy. And hopefully, she had condemned him to a worse fate, much worse, than hers.

He wouldn't use her again. _Never again._ Two words that should leave her rejoicing, but she only felt tired and utterly abandoned by everyone she loved and cared about. Greater minds would have found freedom in this life with no ties, but she, herself, only found emptiness.

Where once so many people had stood at her back, darkness loomed. Father. Mother. Scott. Seth and even Richie…

Yes, Richie, for this short while, back on the road, so long ago, it had felt like the meeting of kindred soul. And, if she let herself listen closely, her heart still called for that feeling to return. Whatever it had been - Certainly, nothing good had come off it. And to be rid of it, to be rid of the notion of it ever returning, should have felt good. It didn't.

 _Greater minds..._ – she thought, but stopped right then. She could not lose anymore of her. Not an ounce of her self-worth. Not right now, right here, on this road, in this car, where everything that mattered lay ahead, nothing behind. And only talisman, a mythic object she of wishful thinking, her sole gateway to a normal life and way out of this cursed existence.

It was her ride to redemption; this time her behind the wheel. No doubt, it was going to be a hell of a bumpy ride. But it was her ride, alright. And after she'd finished cashing nightmares, she would wake up and discover it had been nothing but a bad dream.

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 **A/N: Any thoughts on that?**

 **Extended A/N:**

 **Scene in the corridor:** I had the scene in my head from the very beginning. The image of those two standing in the corridor and facing the invisible conflict between them. Then they meet and it's like fire meets gasoline, because there is heat, so much heat, but also resentment and danger. Hopefully I could capture the moment like that.

 **So, what do you think, can Richie be trusted? Was he really going to use Kate to gain more power?** And will he stop now that Kate had him shot?

 **If you share your thoughts with me, I will be inclined to post another chapter sooner.**

 **PS: English is not my mother tongue,** so sorry if there is an abundance of mistakes, but I do try my best!


	9. Chapter 9: Part of the Chase

BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN

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Chapter 9: Part of the Chase

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 _The best advice comes from strange people._

Kate woke up gasping for breath. For a second she was stuck in a horrible reality where _Amaru_ had overtaken her body again and had left her to wake disoriented in an unfamiliar place, blood still coating her hands. Then, thank God, she remembered.

She had run away with Seth's car, had let him shoot Richie, and was heading towards an ancient Temple, which most certainly was filled with bloodthirsty and ancient culebres. She was on the road, with no food and drink, a gun her sole campion and on a mission to get a mysterious amulet she knew scarcely anything about, let alone if it was worth risking her life for.

 _Right._

 _That was better than waking up after Amaru's rampages, wasn't it?_

What she felt wasn't quite relief, but something close. _Sure_ , she was once again stuck between a rock and a hard place, but seeing as she was the one in control now, it was more hopeful situation by far. Choices were hers to make, hers, too, to mess up.

Still breathing heavily, she took in her surroundings. A parking lot, illuminated by a scarce number of old streetlamps and several dumpsters in the eerie red light of a closed gas station, lay before her. Three other cars were parked next to Seth's Corvette, all of them looking like they'd stood here for a while now and seen better days. The front of a red Chrysler was beat in, and Kate thought she saw a cat dart out of a hole in the car's mantle when she turned her car's headlights on.

She wouldn`t get out of the car; it was something stupid like that that would get her killed. She`d just pulled over to rest her eyes for a bit. After long hours of driving she`d had to blink black dark spots. A rest then, only a few minutes, she had then decided begrudgingly. Already, she was running out of time.

Yet, if there was something more reckless than stealing a car from a Gecko, it was driving while her brain was in the process of shutting down. One second, that's all it took to end up on the other side of the road, car lights heading straight towards her. After all she'd survived it seemed like a stupid risk to take.

Now fully awake, Kate glanced at the clock, and bit down a curse. It read 15 minutes past 12 PM. A few minutes had turned into 2 hours. Two hours lost in a chase, she had been losing even before it had even started. And now, she was sitting here at the verge of a panic attack, whispering comforting lies to herself of how they still wouldn't catch up or find her, and how close to freedom, the true kind, she had already come. There was no reason to lose her nerve, nothing was lost.

A prayer lay on her lips, like an old gum you had put on your beside table and popped in your mouth again in the morning, chewing solely on it out of habit of having something comforting between your lips. It tasted bland. It didn't offer any comfort. She swallowed the words, ate another TickTack instead.

She started the car and took it in reverse. She'd have to get something to eat and drink. Water, anything she could swallow; Kate felt positive dehydrated. Then she would hit the road, drive until her brain turned to mush and her fingers grew numb on the steering wheel.

After half an hour drive she stopped the car in front of a bar called "Jody's". People were milling around and jugging down beers, a group of bikers gathered to the left - it certainly wasn't her first choice of establishments she wanted to enter. Damn this godforsaken hell-hole for not having a 24h convenient store or an open gas station. With an ill stomach, Kate pulled over. Just to be on the save side, she parked the car a good distance away and headed for the establishment on foot.

No one bothered her at the entrance. Stomach in knots, but feeling thirstier than scared, Kate fought her way to the bar. Bodies crowded the general dance-area, but most people where just milling around, drinking, and not dancing to the country music. The air was so thick with smoke and sweat that Kate felt like suffocating in an atmosphere far denser than air should ever feel.

Finally, at the bar, an attentive barkeeper, a man in his late 40ies, heavily tattooed, got her order right away. He didn't ask for her ID. Not that he had to, she had just ordered a coke. After she'd paid for her drink, she headed for the toilets. If the brothers had indeed already caught up to her, the lady's room was the last place they would look for her.

She almost expected to be jumped on her way there, but nothing happened. The tell-tale tingle when a culebra was near was absent, as well. Had she, by God's guidance, somehow found the only place in Texas that culebras stayed away from?

She pushed the sticky door open with one hand, in the other the coke, and slipped inside. For a moment, she believed the room to be vacant, but then she spotted a woman, leaned over the sink busy with her lipstick. Eying her carefully, Kate moved behind her to the window, where she leaned against the wall, and sipped her drink. Over the rim of her glass, she watched her retouch her heavy makeup in front of the cracked mirror.

Kate was so focused on the dark sheen of mascara that she did not realise that the woman's red lips were moving, spilling out words that were directed at her.

"- are you running from? Boyfriend?" Kate chocked on her drink. "Huh? No girl's sipping her drink on the toilet because it's fun, dear. Just make sure you do not forget where you are supposed to be with all the running you do."

"I'm not." Kate shot back. She didn't like this person to bother with her.

After a while in silence, Kate had silently stood behind the female and studied her fake lashes and short shirt, she spoke up again, to Kate's growing annoyance.

"God knows I do know how it feels to know there is no place to hide from your problems."

"I'm not running away; I am already gone." Kate clarified, irritated by her words.

At that the woman turned, her expression suddenly thoughtful. "Those are some serious words, girl." Kate bore her stare for a whole minute, waiting for her to say more. Instead, she turned again, and smeared her finger across her blood red lips. "God knows I have other stuff to do, …" Watching her every move, Kate immediately shied back when she suddenly turned and approached her.

"Let me give you some advice." It wasn't a question.

"I really don't need it. I am just going to finish my drink, then I am out of here and you can do your business - …"

"My business? You mean letting men fuck me?" A long time ago Kate's cheeks would have flushed with colour at the mention of such frivolous words. Now, not so much. She only felt guilt for calling her out on her profession like that. It wasn't like women did that for fun, surely this person had her reasons to be here in this fucked up toilet wearing a tight leather skirt, red stilettos, and little else. Her life had probably been a series of limited choices and lost chances. An apology was the least she could offer.

Her tongue felt thick. Her father wouldn't have been proud. "I didn't mean to…"

"No need to apologise for shaming a hooker, girl. I can deal. Now, about you - …"

The woman continued to advance on her, her shoes making a clip-clack sound on the dirty tiles.

"What would a girl like you do in a place like this, looking like she's just been mauled by a rabid dog, telling me to let her finish her coke in peace?" Her voluminous lips revealed yellowed teeth, and Kate guessed her to be a heavy smoker. "I am sure it is an interesting story." Her husky voice told her. "But none I wanna hear."

Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise and the woman laughed. "You've got sass, girl, but will it be enough? I can tell - you hold a grudge. And by the look of you, that is a pretty hard grudge to hold, girl. And now, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to run." Kate answered, despite her best effort to stay quiet. Something about this woman made confessions spill from her lips. "I run till I am save."

The woman laughed into Kate's serious face, and her expression darkened. "Running has done me no good." She paused, and regarded Kate with eyes that had seen much, and could not forget. "What naps on your heels will get you eventually, and when you are running for so long it will get you in your weakest moment. So stop running and face things, before it's too late. Make them stop chasing you."

Kate swallowed her ire, and replied with what she thought was a decent amount of reason.

"I already faced them, trust me, this is the only way out."

"No!" Kate stepped back in surprise, the woman's voice so intense that Kate grew uneasy. She looked weak, but maybe there was more to her than met the eye. If she'd learned anything on the road in the last several months, it was to take nothing at face value. "You must approach it head on, be the one that is in control, pull his strings, you are a woman, certainly you know how to get him to listen. Bend his will to yours instead of letting it busy itself with chasing you. Men turn into beasts on the hunt."

If only she knew how true that was in Kate's case.

"What can a woman like you hope to do against a man that is willing to hurt and hunt you, girl? You must not run, and give him more reason to chase you. Let the weak role open for another, and take the reins in your hands."

Slowly the woman smiled at her, her luscious lips pulled into an expressive mix of mirth and joy. "Smart girl, you are willing to consider my words."

Kate answered with stunned silence. This woman was asking her to confront the two Geckos instead of making a life for herself? She had already attracted their anger, ensured that there was only bad blood between them now - and this woman was asking her to meet them head on and demand rightful treatment?

Ridiculous. Crazy. Richie would just discredit anything she said and then possibly force her physically to bend to his will. He could do it, and easily too. And Seth, he had no reason to trust her word now that she had forced him to shoot his own brother. There wouldn't be anyone to rescue her from their wrath.

"I can't." It was really as simple as that.

"Oh, let me assure you there is scarcely little one can't do, girl." A haunted look changed her lovely face into a grotesque mask, but just for a moment, then her smile returned and she was once again acting as though Kate and her were just sharing pleasantries over a cup of hot coffe. "People on the run...- someday, they are not people anymore."

Her words did not leave Kate unaffected, but still she would back down. Not when this woman only offered cryptic words and she had to deal with real world problems. Like two furious Gecko brothers hot on her heels and ready for retribution and impirsonment, oh and yeah, the rest of the blood sucking community of the state was hunting for her blood, too. Almost slipped her mind just then. Not.

That woman was telling her to let that once chance slip past her fingers and confront the demon's that were hunting her? Demons, hah. Not even in a metaphorical sense. She could not stop now.

The woman tzched, and Kate feld compelled to defend herself, even if she really didn't have to.

"I wouldn't have to run for long, just until…" She was so close to regaining her life, but how could this person see that? That's right, she couldn't, because no one was in her shoes but her.

A curious expression settle on the woman's face.

"Even a lost wanderer sets out with the best goal in mind." At the mention of such unexpected wise words, Kate regarded the hooker again. This time she took in every detail, form the shape of her clothes, to the dyed hair, and the small purse she clutched to her body like it was a life-line. She looked the part of a cheap whore, but her words told her of another story. Just who was this woman?

"Did you run?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

A joyless smile revealed her yellowed teeth for one last time. Then the woman turned, and Kate felt sure that this conversation was over and she wouldn't get an answer to the question she had no buisness asking, but before the woman turned and walked out the door, she called.

"Never stopped."

Then the soft click of the door left Kate standing in an empty room, forced to consider her words.

The woman's advice in good praise, but she was not going to lose this one chance to get her life back. Richie would not suddenly fall to his knees and beg her for forgiveness if she just demanded an apology from him. The very idea was laughable. As for Seth, well, seeing as she had just taught him not to trust her words, what words could she possible offer him to convince him to help her escape this life? He may have had the good intention to get the talisman for her, but Kate knew his biggest weakness was his brother. Seeing as his brother had good intention to use her like a pack of drugs, she saw little chance of the hooker's advice having any value at all.

Thinking about that, but not letting her surrounding go unnoticed, Kate got another bottle of coke for the journey, and then exited the bar.

She didn't hear the sobbs at first, and just as she was ready to leave the gerneral area of the establishment and head for her car parked two streets away, she identified the sounds as what they were. A woman's cry of pain. Had it been any voice crying into the dark in miserable agony, Kate would not have paused. Yet, she knew that hoarse sulky tone as it had just kick-started a spiral of dangerous thoughts in her head.

One dark curse later, she was standing at the edge of the building debating with herself if she really was that stupid or if she could pull herself together and leave before she got herself in more trouble than she could handle. Only one step around the corner and a wall of dumpsters seperated the assaultant and the assaultee from her now.

She took a moment to listen, noting how no tingling, no shivers, and no feeling of dark foreboding called up her bodies response. No culebra's about meant that whomever was hurting that woman was a man. A man whose words and actions were venomous enough.

"Thought you could play me, eh?" There was a soft grasp, and Kate could easily imagine the woman cowering from a blow to her stomach. "A whore like you, stealing from me? You are not worth a cent, you cunt."

"Please. Donny…" The woman begged, and her voice imbued with so much submission had Kate stepping out of the shadows as if she'd just been called by her given name. There was little that got her off more than someone mistreating someone already submitting completly. It was curelty like that that made this world such a hard place to live in. She felt her Dad raise his head beside her, settling his gentle gaze on the scene before her and Kate knew she could not walk away, not matter how this ended.

"Let her go." Kate growled, but to her mortication it came out as a high squeak. The man looked over his shoulder, giving her a dismeaning glance, before he turned back to his victim.

Kate spotted from where she stood how he had the hooker in a vice-like grip. Kate's and the woman's eyes met over the man's broad shoulder, and recognition, then shock changed her defeated expression completely. Eyes alert, she shook her head silently, making the blood on her cheeck sprinkle on the man. He retaliated with hard slap.

"I am talking to you, whore. I said I want money, and you better pull it ouf of your ass right now."

"I said - ... let her go."Kate spoke again, this time her voice strong.

The man, however, didn't even turn to regard her. Instead, he took the woman's bruised jaw in his hand and squeezed with his fat fingers until she cried out in pain.

"Got another cunt for me, eh? Some new tits?" He subdued her easily, when she tried to kick him in the balls. "Oh, I will put you two to good use, so you can earn me back the money that you lost - _my_ money that you lost."

Click, and Kate had the safety off.

Immediately, the man glared over his shoulder, and then finally realising what was happening, he turned fully to Kate. "So now, I got your full attention?" She asked, bitterly.

His fury, however, was directed straight at Seth's gun barrel, and he bared his teeth in an animalistic snarl as if he challenged the weapon like a rival man. Behind him, the hooker slid down the wall to end up as a quivering mass of limbs and hair. Her beautiful red lips were split open, one eye already swollen shut. Kate felt anger roll through her body in trembles when she looked at him again.

"I should just shoot you. Hurt you as much as you hurt her. And eye for an eye."

"So that's what we got here, a little nun."

He spat at her. Kate stepped back out of reflex. He took it as an opening. Suddenly, he was thundering towards her, lips pulled apart in a roar of fury, hands outstretched to grasp her. It took Kate 3 seconds to get her aim straight, to squeeze her finger on the trigger, and to commit to the moment when she decided to hurt another human being, not a monster, but a person. All the while, she watched him advance on her, saw the sweat drip form his chin and the white of his eyes bleed into red.

One shuddering breath.

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 **A/N: Hey guys! I am still writing new chapters, don't worry. I just lost my inspiration after watching the last season. I still love the character's though and want to take them on this journey.** **Thank you for all of your kind reviews and for sticking with me! Thank you so much for motivating me to upload something – you might have to do that again, if I am honest. BUT I really plan on finishing this story**

 **So, I hope you did like this chapter – next time we will see just how angry Richie really is-… hehe**

 **Again: Review and fuel my inspiration and confidence/ willingness to share this story with you :-)**

 **See you next time!**


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